


Stolen Future

by MarkOwen



Series: Stolen Future Series [1]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Green Lantern (2011), Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Apokolips, Community: chlollie, F/M, Gen, Season/Series 06, Sedna - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 22:25:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 104,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarkOwen/pseuds/MarkOwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this universe, Darkseid made a pact with Zod who adopted Kal-El. He will kidnap the JLA before its creation, leaving Earth powerless. Will Chloe and Oliver ever meet? Will the JLA even form? What will happen to Earth?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Timeline Twist

 

_**Prologue** _

__

As the couple took the corner leading to the lab, they felt a strong tremor: Krypton was living its last moments.

"Hurry up Lara, we're almost there!" Jor-El said to his wife who was holding their child.

She was crying, she knew she had to let her son go so he could have a future and a destiny to fulfill but knowing that this was the last time she would ever see him made her heart constrict. She would never see him grow up, become a man, the only thing she hoped was that her son's three years long journey to Earth would happen without any problems.

They reached Jor-El's lab. In there was Kal-El's spaceship, destined to lead him to Earth and teach him the kryptonian knowledge in his future years.

Another tremor, much more violent than the precedent, shook the ground. Every building was slowly falling, pieces after pieces. In less than five minutes, the most powerful, the most advanced planet in the universe would hit its end and the kryptonian race would be consumed.

"Zor-El and Zod are minutes away from igniting Krypton's core with Brainiac, We've got to send Kal-El now!" He told Lara. 

The kryptonians, considered as the greatest people in the whole universe weren't even able to live in peace and to save their planet. Zod who was once Jor-El's best friend had betrayed his own people by starting a civil war in purpose to take the reins of the planet. But, the valiant kryptonian army beat Zod's soldiers. He didn't want to accept defeat, he never would. Jor-El knew that. So he teamed up with Jor-El's own brother who hated him just as much: Zor-El. Thanks to him, he had corrupted Brainiac who was now meters away from Krypton's core, ready to set it on fire which would destroy the entire planet as well as their red sun: Rao.

Lara held her son close to her, not wanting to let him go but she knew she had to.

Jor-El prepared Kal-El's shipand when it was done, he turned to his wife. "Lara" he said softly, knowing and understanding the pain she felt.

"No!" she cried sitting on the ground with her child in her arms. "What if you were wrong? What if his ship is hit by a meteor and he dies?" she screamed, expressing her pain and fears.

"Lara, my love," He knelt next to her. "We've already talked about that, Kal-El will be safe, don't worry."

"How can you be so sure?" she whispered, looking down at her baby who smiled and squealed at her.

"He's my son. I love him." He told her, trying to reassure her. "I feel your pain, your doubts and fears my love, but we have to have faith in him" he looked down to his son too.

She knew that behind his strong voice and his emotionless face, he was aching at the idea of letting his son go to the other end of the universe, but she also knew they had to do this and that the faster it was done, the better. So he put on his mask, preventing him to show any emotion likely to waste his son's time. She smiled at her husband's strength, she knew him too well, he would do what needs to be done even if it meant giving up his own life for his son.

"Come" he gently took her hand and helped her up. They reached the shipand they both knew it was time to tell him goodbye.

"Put him inside Lara, our time has passed." He said. "The hourglass is empty."

"What if they don't love him?" She asked thinking about the human family they picked up to raise their son on Earth.

"Lara, his destiny is set..." he answered, not allowing himself to let his voice waver. "as is ours."

"Goodbye, my sweet Kal-El." she smiled one last time to her son and bent down to kiss his forehead. With this words, Jor-El pressed the key of the ship which slowly came to life, hovering from the ground, moving to the exit and finally taking flight.

"Never forget all the love we have for you my son." Jor-El spoke, a single tear slowly falling down his cheek while he hugged his wife who finally let her emotions take the better of her and cried in his arms.

* * *

Three hundred miles away from Kandor and the House of El, stood the General Zod before his two disciples. Next to him was standing his wife: Faora.

"Brainiac should be here in seconds. It's only a matter of minutes before Krypton explodes." His strong voice filled the room.

"It's time to board into our ships now" Faora's cold tone stated.

"Nam-Ek, Aethyr!" Zod turned to his disciples.

"General?" they both said stepping toward him.

"You wait for Brainiac." he ordered. "When he's here, you charge him into the Black Ship and you leave. Rendezvous on Sedna, understood?"

"Yes sir!" They both knelt the kryptonian way before him, showing him their respect.

"Good. Now it's time to leave this cold flying ice cube and to fulfill the prophecy of Rao." Zod commented.

"Take my hand, my dear." He said to Faora. "I think Kal-El should be leaving by now, we've got to make it to his ship before he is out of reach." She smiled as she heard his vicious words, she soon would start a new life with a son, a heir for Zod. _And who else than Jor-El's son himself would make a perfect heir?_ She thought while Zod led her out of their house and together, they boarded into their ship and left the planet.

A few ten seconds later, Brainiac and Zod's disciples got into the black ship and made their way out of Krypton.

Kal-El's little spaceship was leaving Krypton atmosphere when, behind it appeared the large ship of Zod and Faora. They were thousands of miles away from their birth planet when two huge explosions were heard. Krypton, followed by Rao had just been destroyed by a tyrant who had big plans for his worst enemy's son: Kal-El was going to be corrupted.

* * *

 

 

 

_**Chapter 1: Timeline Twist** _

__

_**Year 1986 (according to the human calendar).** _

"Here he is!" Faora's excited voice rose in their cockpit.

Zod and Faora's ship were catching up Kal-El's spaceship when a red streak appeared next to the baby's ship.

"Ah !"exclaimed Zod. "I should have known that Jor-El wouldn't have left his son without any protections. Of course he asked this stupid Martian to watch on him." He paused, enjoying the moment. "J'onn J'onzz shouldn't have accepted, he's gonna be in serious trouble because of his choice." Zod sneered.

 _Of course_ , thought Faora admiring her husband's strategy skills, _he thought about that too, he always has a back up plan, no one can fool Zod!_

He pressed a button on the dashboard. Under his ship, two doors opened, and an aspiring sensation was felt by both Kal-El's spaceship and J'onn J'onzz. This one didn't have time to make a move that he already was aspired inside Zod's ship. The doors closed right after the baby's spaceship entrance and blazes of fire emerged from the ground, encircling the Martian. He was trapped. He knew that. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to Jor-El. Zod had him and would never let him leave. The fire, preventing him to move forward, was already starting to weaken him, he could feel the sweat emanating from his body and the slight pain appearing inside of him. There was no way out, Kal-El's destiny was going to be either stopped or corrupted and he couldn't do anything, only watch and undergo.

The journey didn't last long, hardly two hours later, the planet Sedna was insight. A big red-brown sphere orbiting around a shining red sun similar to Rao, on which lived a humanoid race. They were a lot like humans on Earth, their appearance and anatomy were the same and their technology level was estimated to ten year better than humans. The only difference is that the Sednians knew about the other alien races, living in the twenty-eight known galaxies. They were in contact with Krypton and accepted that Kryptonians could use Sedna to store some military material. According to Jor-El, there were three billions of people living on the "Big Red" as some of them called their planet. There was only one huge ocean on it, water was covering around forty percent of the sphere due to their dry climate. The average temperature there was 27°C by day and 4°C by night. The degrees' drop at night was explained by the planet composition which erased the warmth when the sun disappeared in the horizon. Sedna was the opposite of Krypton's cold and wet usual weather. Although Krypton was much more populated than Sedna before its destruction, it didn't have lots of cities due to the ice cube's giant size. But on the Big red, cities were popping everywhere, the planet was much more smaller than Krypton was, It only had 36 000 km of circumference. Even Earth was bigger with more than 41 000 km. That didn't prevented Zod to think that this planet could do another Krypton as well as Earth would do but, the only problem was that Earth had a yellow sun which gave kryptonians amazing powers and Sedna had a red sun, rendering them powerless like every mortal humans.

One week before Krypton's ignition, Zod succeeded to send 1300 of his best and most loyal of his soldiers to this planet via the only functioning portal left. This planet would help Zod to gather his troops before heading to Earth and rule it to fulfill Rao's prophecy. The Sednians were a pacific people so they didn't have to fear any attack from them. Zod was glad for it considering that his troops, even if they were very-well trained, were much more vulnerable without their powers.

Their ship landed in the middle of a field where Zod's army was silently and respectively waiting for him. As Zod and Faora stepped outside of the ship, the soldiers knelt before them and shouted "All hail Zod ! All kneel before General Zod !".

He gestured them to stand up and was about to make a speech for them when a loud blast was heardand a dark cloud of smoke rose in the air next to Zod. Everyone was staring at it, ready to attack in case it was hostile. Zod's eyes went wide with fear, -a feeling he usually never felt- when he saw a very tall cracked rock-like figure stepping out of the cloud and staring at him with two glowing red eyes.

Everyone was silent. Although they never met him, they all knew who he was, some of them even thought the rumor of his existence was a legend, something invented to scare kids at night. They were wrong, he was real: They had just met the master of fear, the god of the darkness.

"I am Darkseid." he spoke up with his natural distorted voice. "Lord of Apokolips!".

He could feel the kryptonian soldiers emotions and at that moment, they all felt the same: fear. It would be so easy to infect them and control their bodies, but he had another plan in mind.

"I am here," he continued. "to propose you... a deal."

Zod was speechless. Darkseid, one of the most powerful entities in the universe had just appeared out of nowhere to propose him a deal?

"I- a …. deal?" Zod managed to said, he was feeling utterly powerless and weak, he hated himself for displaying his fear before his own soldiers.

"I promise you the dominion over this planet's population if you accept to solve one problem for me." His face was totally emotionless, his tone was cold, never wavering. Darkseid was the best living example of self-control. According to the rumors, inside of him was bubbling a terrible rage but he always managed to stay still, he had never showed any sign of his rage, his rock features had always been emotionless.

"And that would be?" Zod asked, finding inside of him the force allowing him not to flinch in front of the god of evil.

"I want you to create on this planet a giant prison which would keep out of my way my future opponents on the planets I am going to rule."

"But, we weren't planning on staying here." Zod explained. "We wanted to go to Earth, we-"

"Earth is mine." he cut him off. "You, kryptonians only want to fulfill your stupid prophecy of Rao on Earth only because of its yellow sun." his words were harsh but his voice was still, so still that it sent shivers through everyone's body. "I give you the possibility to rule this planet, I can even give you abilities under the red sun if you really want it. But in exchange you create a prison here to detain my enemies."

Zod's interest was stung when he heard Darkseid's words. "You could give us our powers under a red sun?" he asked.

"Would you accept my deal if I gave them to you?"

Zod didn't think it twice, he accepted. A few seconds later, they all had the powers they would normally get under a yellow sun. Darkseid's proposition was very interesting, he gave him the possibility to fulfill the Rao prophecy by building a new Krypton on Sedna while he would have dominion over every Sednian. Only a handful of them was capable to fight this dominion, that was because their souls were strong enough to fight Darkseid and his omega symbol. Zod first thought about killing them but he then decided to keep them alive so that they would become the first guests of his prisons.

Moreover, the people he had the dominion over would be extremely boring, considering they wouldn't be able to disobey him. Zod decided to materialize Brainiac and told him to find the people who weren't infected with omega symbols and to bring them to him. Meanwhile, he told his soldiers to have some fun by killing the most part of the Sednians, he ordered them to leave around 1.5 million of them alive so that he would rule only prisoners. Besides, he needed a lot of place for the future prisoners knowing that Darkseid was planning on ruling every planet on the 28 known galaxies.

A few hours later, the job was done and it was time to settle. Zod decided to use only four cities on the planet. The rest of the place would be used for the cells. He renamed the capital to Kandor in reminder of Krypton and then, he picked up three cities not far away from the new Kandor: Lankhmar, Tanelorn and Solenear.

The cities were composed of human-like buildings which gave a little charm to them, it changed from the cold constructions of Krypton. Zod's family settled in a 17th like huge mansion. It was an imposing construction in the heart of the city which was encircled by countless modern buildings. In front of it was a giant beautiful place. A large place, its concrete ground was drilled at some spots to allow some trees and vegetation to grow there. In the middle of it was a big and splendid fountain.

 _This place will be perfect for my future speeches to my soldiers._ Zod thought.

The mansion had countless underground cells probably used once to hide and torture some opponents of their leaders. Zod decided to hide J'onn J'onzz there. He couldn't take the risk of letting him and Kal-El communicate. He would never let the martian reveal to Kal-El who was his real family. Kal-El, no, Kal -as Zod was going to rename him- was Zod and Faora's son. No one else must know that. That would be his revenge against Jor-El.

A few days later and the kryptonians invaders were all settled on Sedna. Zod was in the main room of his mansion when Nam-Ek and Aethyr, his most loyal soldiers and now captains of his army entered.

"Sir ?" Nam-Ek asked as they both knelt before him.

"We've had enough time to accustom ourselves to our new home, now is time to prepare the cells for our future prisoners." He started. "Tell Brainiac to destroy the useless cities to make some place for the future cells. I'll command the slaves to build the prisons."

"Sure General." Aethyr agreed.

"A few years ago, I've heard that the Sednians built a formidable machine capable of transporting people through the universe without killing them. We need to find this machine so we will use it to kidnap Darkseid's opponents of his future planets." he finished explaining his plan to his disciples and ordered them to go.

Darkseid had already communicated to Zod the name of the planets he was going to rule and the name of his opponents. Earth was the last one on his list because taking over this planet was much more difficult to Darkseid than any other one. Apparently, the composition of Earth and the yellow sun rendered Darkseid incapable to materialize himself without having infected a certain number of people before. He had to take over more than six hundred planets before heading to Earth. He ordered Zod only to kidnap the opponents a few weeks before ruling the planet targeted because, kidnapping these people too early would only attract attention on a possible alien invasion. Attacking all this planets would take him almost twenty years but neither Zod or Darkseid were in a hurry, time only makes their objectives more tasty when they're achieved.

The universe would have no chance against them. Billions and Billions of people are doomed.

* * *

_**Year 1989 (according to the human calendar).** _

"So ?" A middle-aged man clad in an expensive suit asked.

"It is done Mr. Luthor." The younger man answered.

"Wonderful! Today will be the day the respectable Robert and Laura Queen die! I already feel sad for their poor little boy!" Lionel Luthor's voice exclaimed, the sarcasms in his word made his employee smirk before he asked him to leave.

Thousands of miles away from Kansas, were in a plane Robert and Laura Queen, heading to Equator where they had to meet an influent diplomat. The flight was calm, the plane was flying over the pacific ocean when a violent explosion was heard at the back of the plane, rendering it utterly uncontrollable. The Queen Industries plane crashed on a little island in the middle of the pacific waters, killing every person on board.

A few days later, the people of a little city in the middle of Kansas, called Smallville were about to live the most horrible experience of their lives when hundreds -maybe thousands- of asteroids of different sizes were falling from the sky, hitting the ground with loud sounds and making the entire city shake like it was earthquakes. Lots of people were dying, either crushed under a meteor or buried under pieces of concrete, buildings and everything else that was hit by the asteroids.

October the seventh of 1989 was the worst day ever lived by a city on Earth. After hours of meteor shower, people were finally able to get out of their refuges only to discover a spectacle of death and desolation. Lots of people were killed that day, no one would ever forget theses terrible moments, ever.

* * *

_**12 Years later.** _

Chloe Sullivan was making her way through the crowd gathered in front of Smallville High when she spotted a redheaded girl that she recognized as her best friend.

"Tess! Hey Tess!" She exclaimed

"Chloe!" She ran toward the little blonde and they hugged while squealing.

"I'm so happy to see you! It's been so long!"

"Come on Tess, it's only been three days since we last saw each other!" Chloe witted.

"Hey! Don't I have the right to miss my best friend?" She protested

"Don't worry Mercy, I missed you too" She smiled. "Now come on it's time for our classes, You wouldn't miss our first day in High School, would you?"

"Oh surely I wouldn't!" Tess happily said. "Plus, I've spotted some hot guys in there!"

Chloe rolled her eyes at her friend. _Of course she would say that, Tess Mercer, always the first ready to flirt with guys!_ She thought, her friend's behavior making her smiling while they entered the building and got ready for their first class in High School.

A hundred miles away, In Topeka, a seventeen years old Oliver Queen was bullying some new students at Excelsior Academy. Since his parent's death, he was on his own, he was taken care of by some employed nannies but not one of them would love him as much as his parents would. He had to learn to be an adult sooner than any other teenager but the lack of parent's authority had turned him into an arrogant boy who used to bullying the pupils of his schools and to spend his money in alcohol, parties, women and even sometimes drugs. He convinced himself that all the people he loved would one day leave him so he decided to keep people out of his heart by acting like a jerk. He was at his worse when, Duncan Hellenmayer, one of his most favorite targets was beaten to the blood by his only friend: Lex Luthor before being crushed by a car, killing him. The shock of his death made Oliver realize that he was living life in the wrong way, he had to stop before reaching the point of no return. He promised himself to stop bullying people and to focus on his studies to later take over his father's company to make his parents proud.

* * *

_**Year 2006 (according to the human calendar).** _

It has been two weeks since Oliver Queen had moved to Metropolis. The tabloids were already picturing him as the newest "Metropolis bachelor". His playboys ways had always preceded him but now, he did it on purpose, to hide his real personality so that no one would guess about his alter-ego: The Green Arrow. A few days after graduating High School, Oliver sailed away in a private yacht to say goodbye to his parents. Unfortunately, his yacht was attacked and he was forced to escape. He was lost during two years on an island in the middle of the pacific ocean. There, he met some native indians who taught him how to use a bow and arrows. He quickly became one of the best hunters of the island. Not long after, he discovered the crashed plane in which his parents died. Inside of it, he found his parent's skeletons, his mother's ring and a letter written by her. She was telling him that loving someone entirely and putting other's needs before his owns were the truest path someone could ever walk on. Oliver clearly remembered every line of the letter:

" _Oliver,_

_There is something I wish I had told you last night. Every decision we have made about you was done with an unconditional love. There is nothing more powerful in caring for someone more than yourself. Know, that putting others ahead of yourself will bring you all the peace you'll ever need._

_With all our love, Mom & Dad."_

Her words had warmed his heart. He was five when his parents died, he didn't have lots of memories of them and knowing that they loved him was important to him. He too wanted to have what his parents had: someone to love. But with his life, his fortune, his celebrity, and now his alter-ego, it was something almost impossible to get. So he was waiting, for the right person, Who knows? Maybe one day he would find her.

His journey on that island also taught him that life deserved to be protected at all cost. The moment he realized it, he swore to himself to protect all the people he could while putting their needs ahead of his owns, like his parents wanted. That's when Green Arrow was born. He trained himself hard, both physically and mentally to become strong against his enemies. But eventually, he realized that it wasn't enough, he needed help. Fighting alone could only lead him to failure or death. That's when he recruited Bart Allen. The young teenager had an amazing ability, he could run faster than a speeding bullet. Hell, he could be faster than everything that existed. He came across him a year ago when he was patrolling in Star City. The young speedster was helping himself to a free meal. Oliver realized that he wasn't a bad kid so he gave him the possibility to join him, saving people instead of stealing them. He accepted. It was easier for Oliver because he didn't have to go on patrol every night, Bart could do it sometimes so he could rest a little. And also, knowing that someone has your back is always reassuring, no matter how strong you are. A few months ago, the two young men discovered some strange disappearances in the area of metropolis. Every victim seemed to have some weird abilities which could be related to the meteor rocks located in Smallville. Those kidnappings were the real reason of Oliver's arrival in Metropolis. He managed to give the reins of his company in Star City to his trusted VP while he ruled the Metropolis subsidiary.

Today, he was standing on the balcony of his penthouse, waiting for a journalist from the Daily Planet called Chloe Sullivan who was going to join and interview him. He had already given an interview this morning to the Metropolis Inquisitor's journalist: Lois Lane, the Inquisitor was the most influential tabloid of the city and didn't hesitate to publish compromising articles about the famous faces of Metropolis no matter if their informations were true or not. Oliver only accepted the interview with Ms. Lane to maintain his playboy reputation. The woman herself was a very attractive brunette with endless legs, she was beautiful. A few months ago, Oliver would have jumped on the occasion to bring her to his bed but now, he was fed up of whoring around only to protect his identity. Besides, it was ruining his reputation and also his company's. It was his father's legacy, and he promised himself he would do anything to protect it. Plus, Lois seemed to have a straight and harsh opinion on the Green Arrow who she considered as a "bandit". This woman clearly had done lots of researches on his alter-ego and didn't even notice the huge donations he anonymly gave to charities right after stealing goods from the richs. She seemed too hardheaded and stubborn to realize that the Emerald Archer was not one of the bad guys. The journalist was annoying him with her opinions so he decided to cut short the interview by simulating a phone call from his VP who was "asking him" to go to his office as soon as possible. He excused himself and asked his doorman to escort Lois out.

Now he was waiting for the interview with Miss Sullivan, he knew that the DP was a serious newspaper and she told him by phone that the interview was mostly about Queen Industries. He wasn't worried. In fact he was impatient, a year ago when he took the reins of the company, he learned how to work in business, to rule this huge international group and to always consider the economic situation before always making a decision. He liked talking business and economy with people, it was making him feel normal while his alter-ego was the adrenaline dose he needed almost everyday to balance his life. Again, he realized that the only thing he lacked was someone to share his life with and not only his civil side.

He was sent out of his thoughts when he heard the door of his lift opening and a woman's voice calling him. He found himself looking at a beautiful petite blonde woman, he was used to meeting attractive women, and he often slept with them and then left. He didn't care about them because they only wanted him for his money or celebrity. Usually, he would go for the tall-brunette type of women and he'd never been interested in short women but this one had two huge beautiful green orbs, a very cute face and her body seemed to be perfectly modeled, curvy in all the right places. It was hard for him to take his eyes off her body. Giving himself a mental slap for eying her like she was a piece of meat, he finally found his voice.

"Miss Sullivan, I presume?" He asked with his most charming smile.

"Mr. Queen.. It's a pleasure to meet you." She flushed a little while a shy smile appeared on her lips, she seemed a little uncomfortable by his presence, a sign that she wasn't immune to his charms. He took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it.

"Please, call me Oliver. The pleasure's all mine." He paused, savoring the feel of her skin. Realizing he was still holding her hand, he gave himself a new mental slap. _Behave Queen! What's going on with you?_ \- He thought. "I was thinking about taking this interview outside," he pointed the balcony while letting go of her hand. "The sun is shinning and it's warm enough to go on the balcony, What do you think?" he proposed.

"Well why not?" She smiled and tried to get her face's color back to normal. "After all, I never have time to take a sunbath so It could only be good for my skin." She showed her pale skin and seemed a little bit unhappy with her tan.

"You know.." Oliver started with a smirk, "I find you very beautiful even with a milky skin." he charmed her. She looked down and her face turned red again, which made her even more cute than she was. In an attempt to hide her face from him, she walked past Oliver and settled herself on the balcony. He followed her and sat at the table. They started the interview with the usual questions about him, his journey on the island, his company, how he managed to learn to rule it and they began to talk about economy, the influence of Queen Industries on Metropolis, on the country and of his principal rival, Luthorcorp. She seemed to know the Luthors personally and apparently didn't like them at all. She seemed to share a lot of opinions with him and he found it surprising, usually, journalists didn't care about the people, they only wanted their informations no matter what but she was different and that was something Oliver was looking for: someone who's different from the crowd, someone who's unique.

"Okay, enough with business Mr. Queen, I have all I need about it now." Ms. Sullivan stated.

"Come' on" he said playfully, "I've already told you countless times to call me Oliver since we've started the interview." He grinned.

"Fine Oliver" She smiled. "Let's finish this by your opinions on the new heroes and especially since you're from Star City, on the Green Arrow. What do you think he wants?"

"Well I've never had the occasion to ask him since we've never met." He joked. "I think he's trying to help. You know, he steals people but if you take a closer look, you'll realize that he only steals rich people. He's kinda the new Robin Hood." He finished seriously.

"Yeah I know that." She said before he could continue speaking about his alter-ego. "I've done a lot of researches on him and I discovered that the goods he steals are all from Black market and that a few hours after every stealing, an anonymous donation is given in order to cover the stolen goods. He's not a bandit like everyone thinks, he's a hero."

 _Good girl_ -He thought, he was grinning from ear to ear, this woman was definitely not like everyone else.

"And I share your opinion, Chloe." he said while taking her hand in both of his, the warmth of her skin and the pink color of her face when she blushed mesmerized him. They hadn't even noticed that the sun had started to set when she started shivering.

"You're cold?" he asked, she nodded. "Well it will be dark here in a few minutes, I propose we call it a night."

They stood up and he helped her gathering her things which gave him the possibility to be closer to her. They hadn't even finished regrouping her papers that they heard a baffling sound, they both turned round and remarked a red glowing bubble in the sky which seemed to grow bigger and bigger in seconds. Realizing that the UFO was falling from the sky in their direction, he took Chloe's hand he started leading her inside.

"We gotta get out of h-" He didn't have the time to finish his sentence that the bubble was in the room and trapped them inside of it before disappearing with them, leaving the Queen penthouse empty.

Chloe's world was still black when she sent some movement and noises surrounding her body, she tried to open her eyes but her vision was blurry and she had to blink a few times before seeing clearly again. She noticed she was lying on some red-brown soil in the middle of a small enclosure, circled by some wires. Her muscles were too weak to make her stand so she rolled her body to her right but stopped when she came in contact with something that felt like a body. She looked down and noticed the tall frame of Oliver who was still unconscious. She moved her hair away from her face and let out a gasp when she saw his blood dripping from a cut on his forehead.

"Mr Quee-I mean Oliver, are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

Her words seemed to have waken him up because he started to move slowly him limbs before opening his eyes which locked on her owns.

"Chloe?"

They two young people didn't have time to share another word when a tall black-skinned man entered the enclosure. He was wearing a dark khaki sleeveless t-shirt with what looked like military pants and ranger boots. He also had a dog tag on which was inscribed some unreadable patterns.

 _It looks like chinese._ thought Oliver.

The man stepped forward and bowed his head down to look at them. The corners of his mouth twisted in a grin and he spoke up: "Welcome to hell, humans!".

 


	2. Arrival in Hell

Oliver was watching through the only few windows which appeared to be the only source of light in this long dark corridor where he and Chloe were being forced to walk down. The same man who had 'welcomed' them had a vice grip on his and Chloe's forearms and was practically dragging them along him. For Oliver who had fought a lot of strong people while he was patrolling in his green leather suit, the man's strength was unbelievable. Both his and the petite blonde's combined weight didn't even seem to affect him, he was able to carry their bodies like they were some little rag dolls. He couldn't believe that this man was a lot stronger than him even if his muscles weren't apparently that developed. Of course he was muscled, as any soldier in any army and usually, average soldiers weren't able to lift him off his feet with the only force of one arm.

 _What kind of man could do that? Was he even human? Was he the only one who had this ability? And how did they make it here?_ Those were the questions popping in his mind at the moment while they were quickly approaching a semi-opened blurred french door.

The man kicked it open and sent the blonde's pair droop unceremoniously on the floor.

Chloe was still feeling a little dizzy following her lost of consciousness after the red bubble swallowed them in. She managed to take deep breaths, allowing her to regain composure and control the spinning world in her head. The coldness of the brown tiles she was laying on were helping her cool off her stressed body and confused mind. She lifted her face from the floor and realized that they weren't alone in there.

In front of Chloe and Oliver were standing about fifteen to twenty people. Each one of them was looking in their direction, every body, every head, every eyes turned toward them. A tense silence floating in the atmosphere as they were all gazing at the others. She noticed that Oliver was also looking over the room, trying to register what was happening, he seemed as lost as she was. Finally, the dizziness vanished, and she was able to have a more analytic look over the people in the room. She noticed a dozen of people dressed like the soldiers, who were strategically encircling a line of people standing in front of what looked like a royal throne in which three people were sat in. Taking a closer look on the encircled persons, she noted that their wrists were handcuffed, even one of them had both his wrists and ankles tied, completely immobilizing him.

"Oliver?" the latter asked. He looked like he was not even eighteen, a teenager and she wondered why he was the only one who had to be tied this way. His eyes were on the blond billionaire at her side, she turned her eyes to take a glimpse of Oliver's face who clearly was utterly confused but showed recognition of the teenager.

"Bart?"

Chloe turned her eyes back to look at said Bart but her gaze locked with a pair of light blue eyes. She gasped when she realized that she was staring at her best friend's face who returned her look with the same surprise and confusion.

"Tess?"

She opened her mouth to talk again but she felt a hand grab her hair behind her painfully, forcing her to let out a shriek of pain.

"Shut up! You are not allowed to speak in front of General Zod until he tells you to!" the soldier behind her nearly shouted in her ear. "Now rise before Zod!"

In the blink of an eye, both Chloe and Oliver found themselves standing with the line of handcuffed people, and tied up just like them.

"Kneel." A strangely strong and authoritative voice filled the very spacious room.

They were all so lost and busy at staring at the two new arrived people that the humans didn't even register the meaning of the word and just turned their heads toward the throne in order to identify the newly heard voice. Three seats composed the throne. The middle one was the biggest, the king's place in which a slim, young, well-built man was looking at them with dangerous blue eyes, and a cruel smile playing across his lips hidden in the middle of his short brown facial hair. His presence was this imposing that it took them a few seconds to notice the woman and the younger man seated respectively at his right and left. They looked like they were in their late twenties, although the man at the king's left looked like he was in his early ones.

"Haven't you heard? He said kneel! Obey, you stupid gits!" the dark-skinned soldier yelled at them and snapped his fingers, giving his subordinates a silent instruction. Several soldiers stepped behind them and kicked the back of their knees, forcing them to kneel with loud thuds and groans.

"Hey! Back-off!" A tall blond man positioned between Tess and Chloe protested which only gave him the opportunity to be punched in the ribs by a soldier in his back, making him cry out of pain and twist his body in hope to prevent another blow from hitting him. The man behind him stepped back without a single word as the other humans looked at the frame of the blond man, willing to help him. Oliver opened his mouth to speak in hope to defend the guy but the officer in front of him noticed that.

"Don't dare you to talk or you'll get through much worst things than he is!"

Oliver didn't have the choice, he wasn't the suicidal type so unless he wanted to see what they could have in store for him, he decided to keep his mouth shut. From his experience, he knew it was not the moment to make their captors angry, but it didn't erase the frustration he was feeling for not being able to help the blond guy.

The young man quickly recovered from the blow and lifted his upper body up to get back into a knelt position, his dark eyes and his clenched jaw expressing anger the anger toward the soldier. All he wanted to do was to jump up and strangle one of them with his own hands but he knew he couldn't.

"Now, shall we begin?" The same imposing voice was heard, drawing the gazes toward the throne.

The king waved his hand to his black-skinned right hand who silently nodded and walked a couple of steps toward a wooden console. He took what looked like a clear crystal which started to glow up at the contact of the man's hand on it. After a few seconds, a sort of digital projected little screen emerged from the crystal and the military man stepped toward the first knelt guy at the left end of the line.

"Harold J-" He spoke up while looking at the small screen in his hand.

"Hal" The prisoner cut him off.

"What?" the soldier was confused and taken aback by the prisoner who dared to interrupt him.

"Hal" he persisted "I don't like Harold, it sounds li-" The soldier's fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying a few meters back and ending abruptly his remark.

"Shut up! You're not allowed to speak!"

"Enough, Basqat" The king chuckled, visibly enjoying the scene playing before him. He stood up and walked lazily in the direction of the line of humans, stopping a few feet before them, he looked a few seconds at them with the same dangerous smile plastered on his face. Then, he quickly moved to Hal who was still lying on the ground, using his handcuffed hands to wipe off the blood from the corner of his mouth and trying to recover from the hard punch of the guy. He looked up when the king approached him and lowered his upper body to have his head at Hal's level. The man stared defiantly into his eyes. Seconds of silence flew by before the stoic face of the king changed into an another smile when he realized that Hal wasn't going to loose their staring contest.

"You've got balls little human, I'll give you that." He told him before turning his head to the closest private. "Move him back in the line." he ordered.

"Yes sir."

Hal's shoulders were grabbed and he was being dragged back to where he was earlier. The king walked back in front of the humans and took a stance.

"I'm General Zod." He informed them, taking his time to look into all of the humans eyes, he surely wanted to make them uncomfortable. "In the coming days you will learn to show me respect and kneel before me, because if you don't... you will die." His tone was more serious, he wanted to show them he wasn't joking. "The rule in my world is kill" he paused. "or be killed." Zod smirked. Once he was finished, he nodded at his soldier.

"Go on" he waved Basqat who started once again the presentation of the humans.

"Harold" He accentuated the word, mocking the man who dared to defy him. "Jordan. Born February the 20th of 1986 according to Earth's calendar which makes him nineteen years old, he is a test pilot for the Air Force, an aerial branch of his country's army" he specified. "He lives in a town called Coast City located in the Californian state. And uh, he doesn't have any ability."

The kryptonians always investigated about the planets on which they had to kidnap people, that's why Basqat could be that precise without having to explain everything to his fellow men.

He moved in front of a blond woman who wore a strange device as necklace.

"Dinah Lance." Basqat announced. "twenty-three years old, lives in Metropolis. She has a sonic scream capable to be lethal to people if heard for too long." He summarized, knowing that he had to do that for everyone and not wanting to waste any time. He paced in front of the teenager who apparently knew Oliver.

"Bart Allen. Sixteen years old, No registered address but mostly located in Star City and Mexico. He has a super-speed power."

The humans were utterly surprised by the amount of informations that these people had on them, and it was just the beginning.

"Victor Stone." the next human was introduced. "Nineteen years old, lives in Metropolis. His body is mostly composed of machine parts combined with his natural organs. He's displayed super-strength, can project energy blasts with his hands and we suspect him to be able to connect himself directly to a computer and being able to handle it with his brain waves."

Every introduced humans eyes expressed anger at the man and shame for seeing their most precious secrets revealed in front of unknown people while the others who were still waiting for being presented showed signs of apprehension, not wanting to be exposed. Yet, they kept their mouths shut, knowing protesting was useless unless you wanted a bunch of punches in your face. They had never felt so powerless and weak, they couldn't chase the question in their minds: What was going to happen to them? Why were they here?

A few seconds passed by before the next person saw his identity exposed. Basqat checked his screen, looked at the person in front of him and smirked before looking back to the screen and speaking up.

"Bruce Wayne" The sound of this name caused Oliver's head to shot up and checked his left to look at the person he should have recognized when he had entered the room. He hadn't seen Bruce in years but he could never forget him. He met him at Excelsior Academy when he was twelve, Bruce was a year older than him. To their surprise, they discovered themselves a lot of similarities: both were orphans, had dragged all their lives a terrible feeling of emptiness due to the loss of their parents and both could never completely trust anyone because of their invaluable fortunes. Bruce had taken Oliver under his wig back then, they had quickly befriended and even considered themselves as brothers. After High school, life got on the way and they lost touch of each other till today. The fact that they were both in the same room, here in this unknown world could only be a stroke of fate.

"A billionaire playboy aged of twenty-three years old, currently studying at Princeton University, He lives in Gotham City and has no super-abilities."

Bruce looked down, willing to avoid the gazes of the humans who had just recognized him. He wasn't a very public face on Earth but his name was famous, and sometimes it was at his own undoing.

The wait wasn't long before Basqat went on.

"Tess Mercer."

Chloe's chest constricted with worry for her friend, she knew she couldn't do anything for the redhead and that her turn was coming too. "Nineteen years-old, She is a marine biologist intern, studying at Harvard University and has no abilities."

It was quick and Chloe realized that her worry for her best friend was useless considering she wasn't famous nor had a secret ability she wanted to hide. A sigh of relief left her throat.

Basqat quickly enchained, it was the turn of the tall blond man who had been beaten up by a soldier for rebelling.

"Arthur Curry." Chloe noticed that Arthur gritted his teeth at the mention of his name. "Twenty-four years old, marine biologist student too, he uses to live in Miami. He apparently shares a bond with water which gives him super-strength and super-speed when he swims." Arthur's look was hard on Basqat who only grinned at the man's helplessness. He turned his head toward Chloe who was the next. She gulped down hard, and turned her gaze away, she went across Oliver's face who silently showed support to her by a small smile, the look in his eyes telling her that it was going to be okay, but she knew it wasn't. She waited for the inevitable.

"Chloe Sullivan." Basqat voice filled her ears as she heard the dreadful words. "Nineteen years-old, she lives in Metropolis and is intern at the Daily Planet newspaper. No super-powers."

 _That's it?_ -She thought.

She didn't know why she had been so stressed, she had nothing to hide but still, seeing her identity revealed like that to all these strangers was a little scary. She couldn't help being more stressed when she realized that Oliver was going to be the next, a billionaire never liked seeing his identity revealed when he didn't want to, did he?

She turned her head toward him and once again her eyes locked with his. This time he seemed nervous, extremely agitated to say the truth. His features were sinister and worried. She knew some famous people wanted to stay incognito at times but he seemed so anxious that she wondered if he really feared for his playboy identity or for something else. Did he have a power or something? Her curiosity was picked despite herself, as well as her worry for him.

On his part, Oliver was starting to feel fear quickly building inside of him, the feel of an almost unbearable pressure he wasn't used to experience. The soldiers had exposed an impressive amount of very personal informations on the others that no one on Earth could knew. He couldn't help but wonder if they knew about his alter-ego. He was about to find out as Basqat walked past Chloe and stopped in front of him. Oliver closed his eyes as if he were a kid who knew a slap was coming.

"Oliver Queen." As well a for Bruce, some humans didn't recognized him first and just realized that two billionaires were in the same room, handcuffed and knelt before a militia of scornful people.

"Another rich playboy who is twenty-two. He lives in Star City even if he had lately moved to Metropolis. He is CEO of one of the most influent company on Earth called Queen Industries. He is not powered." _He is finished, right? Tell me he's finished, please!_ -Oliver silently begged to god.

When he heard no more words from the soldier, Oliver slowly opened his eyes and looked up, trying to figure out if Basqat was indeed finished or not. He got his answer when he walked away and dropped the crystal back onto the console. A wave of relief went over him as he exhaled loudly, his identity was still safe, but for how long?

The humans were so busy worrying about their secrets that they hadn't noticed that Zod was back in his throne, silently examining every face, letting a dreadful silence settle for several minutes. Of course Zod already knew all of that and even much more, the presentations made by his right hand was only a mean to prove the humans how much of a threat he and his army were to them.

"Now" he spoke up breaking the endless silence and startling some of them. "Now, you know how well informed we are." He stood up and paced closer to them. "But you still don't know why you are here." he laughed. "Who we are nor where you are." he pointed a finger at them keeping a light expression on his features, almost letting them believe that all of this was fake, that a group of cameraman was going out of their hiding place and tell them they had been tricked. Suddenly, a serious expression appeared on his face and his tone was full of hate, of disgust and harshness. "You humans, you believe you're alone in the universe, you believe you can exploit your little planet's resources without having to endure any consequences." he talked about them like they were venomous, a poison, a cancer. "You think you've got an inestimable knowledge of everything that nothing existing can ever, be better than you." he paused. "You were wrong" his voice was almost a whisper, he was acting like a predator over his preys. "My civilization has much more knowledge than your kind will ever have. You see, friends," they heard the other soldiers chuckle. "There are 28 galaxies we have counted in this universe and each one of them is inhabited." Bruce couldn't take it anymore, he had to cut him or he was going to laugh.

"You really want us to believe that?" he raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the next thing you're gonna tell us? That you're from another planet? You're talking about yourselves as if you were aliens!" he chuckled. "Where's ET?" he joked causing Hal and Tess to giggle.

"I don't care if you believe or not." Zod retorted. "But... If you think I am wrong, then how can you explain the strength of my men? How can you explain..." he paused for a moment to lick his lips and looked above Bruce's head, giving one of his soldiers a nod, in order to instruct him something. An interrupter being switched was heard, and the roof gradually opened, letting the rays of the sun light up the room. "How can you explain" he continued as red rays entered from the roof. "that this sun is red?" a smirk placed on his lips, showing the pleasure he was getting from mentally overpowering the young billionaire. The humans' faces fell, betraying their surprise as they saw the red shining sun above them.

"Now you see ignorant prats, You are currently on a planet called Sedna, my planet, my territory, my realm." Zod calmly explained while circling around them slowly. Once he had made a full circle, he was back in front of them and stopped. Arms extended and eyebrows raised he greeted them:

"Welcome on my soil."

Bruce and the others were all speechless, understanding that Zod was telling them the truth. They never could have guessed that and had never felt this lost in their entire lives.

"Now I'm gonna tell you why you're here, yeah." He quickly told them. He ts-tsted before speaking up again, shaking his head slowly. "Your kind believes he's unbeatable but, you are all fooling yourselves." he explained. "Because when I arrived here, a very powerful entity came looking for me twenty years ago, we call him... Darkseid. A veritable god, a master of fear, of power. The lord of evil in its purest form, in this universe. And he is about to invade your birth planet." He took his fun to see the doubts, the concern for their planet in their eyes, but he kept talking. "He told me you were the only ones who could protect humanity against him, but I really don't see why. In your eyes I only sense fear, confusion," he paused giving his last word a more venomous ring. "weakness."

"You were supposed to be Earth saviors together, that is why we've kidnapped you." This time it wasn't Zod's voice that was heard, it was a woman's. Zod turned round with a smile, revealing the woman who was earlier seated on the throne walking toward them, followed by the other and younger man. The both of them stopped when they reached Zod and lined with him so that he was in the middle of them. The woman took Zod's hand and leaned partially on his shoulder while looking at the humans.

"Faora, my wife." Zod introduced her.

"Hello" She spoke seductively, as if they were being introduced in completely different circumstances. Only her eyes reminded them her tone was fake, the mockery in them proving the humans that they really were prisoners of Zod.

"And here is, our son, Kal." Zod waved to third man who had been looking at them with a complete indifference, his face revealing a haughty look. He looked like he wasn't older than twenty or twenty-one so how could he be Zod's soon who himself didn't looked like he was even thirty years old?

"I've been waiting a long to meet humans." Kal spoke up. "Heroes in the arena, guess it'll give us enjoyable fights." he commented, looking at Zod who happily nodded.

"Yeah," he turned his head toward Oliver and looked at the others. "If we hadn't intervened, you would have become famous heroes on Earth" He paced long and large before the line of humans and stopped when he was in front of Oliver and looked down at him.

The young billionaire could feel the sweat dripping off his forehead and running on his back, getting into this topic was certainly not the best thing for his alter-ego.

"But I guess, we've been too late for one of you." Zod intensely stared into Oliver's brown eyes for interminable seconds, letting him understand what he was trying to say. He knew, Oliver knew where this was going, and once it was done there would be no coming back, he felt his body shiver and starting to tremble when he felt all the gazes of the room on him. "Weren't we? Green Arrow?" It was done, Zod had done it, now everyone knew who he was. Oliver had always known that one day his identity was going to be revealed but he didn't think it had to be so soon nor did he think that even some sort of aliens would know about it too. What was he going to do?

The two words echoed in her mind, Chloe had seen a lot of disturbing and unbelievable things since she entered this room but this, this was the final blow. _Did Zod just say Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow?_ Her eyes tried to scan his face that he bowed down in defeat, she knew she couldn't completely understand what he was feeling at the moment but she felt really bad for him. Oliver Queen was a hero and she was proud of him for that. She wanted to tear Zod in pieces for revealing his identity like that. No hero deserved that, she knew Oliver Queen was a human being of a great quality and no one like him deserved to be treated the way Zod did.

Oliver's shame and frustration were quickly replaced by an almost uncontrollable anger, he lifted his head aggressively and spat at the krytonian's face. "Go to hell! You son of a bitch!" he shouted.

Zod wiped his face from Oliver's spit, his features turning to anger too, he quickly walked a few steps back, grabbed a blue ring, slid it into his finger and ran back to Oliver before punching him. Several hard bashes hitting his jaw, his face, and his solar plexus, emptying his lungs. Oliver choked and gasped for air, breathing like a dog, letting out loud gasps as he did it. It didn't stopped the alien from hitting him.

"Stop it! No! God stop it please!" Chloe cried. Her pleas made Zod stop the attack, he moved a few steps around Oliver's weakened body who was still trying to take his breath back. Kicking him one last time, Zod felt his anger dissipate and as he was pacing, the corner of his lips twitched in a smirk. He once again lowered himself slowly next to Oliver who had time to recover from the punches. Their eyes locked. "I'm in charge here, and you're about to find out what that means... hero." he mocked "Here, you will all kneel and serve," Zod raised his voice higher, indicating he was talking to all of the humans. "until you die, like all of the others before you." he finished in a whisper and rose before walking away, followed by his family. "Take them to the cells!" he ordered.

* * *

"This human will be the first to be chosen to fight, I want him to endure a such pain that he'll beg me to kill him! He will be punished for his boldness!" Zod averred as he entered a room next to the reception hall where the humans were being led out from. Faora was close behind him and Kal followed, closing the door behind him. "I want to fight him, I've always wanted to kill a hero. Please father." Kal demanded.

"If that's what you want my son then so be it, but first we need to see his fighting skills in the arena."

Faora nodded as Zod accepted Kal's demand.

At the same time, Darkseid appeared in the room, preceded by his dark cloud of crows and smoke.

"Darkseid" Zod greeted as he nodded, his family doing the same.

"You've got the humans." the god stated, looking down at Zod from his nearly 9'' height. "Now my reign of fear shall rise again on Earth and this time nothing will stop me from reaching my goal."

"Now we're even Lord Darkseid, You've given me and my wife rejuvenated bodies, we've given you the possibility to conquer their planet again." Zod bowed his head in gratefulness. "Let us know when is the next time you'll need our services, Lord."

"I will." Darkseid answered. "I'm headed to Earth now, This planet will be my greatest trophy."

With this words, his cloud enveloped him in and he disappeared.

* * *

"Move!" one of the guards pushed the humans for what felt like the hundredth time as they were approaching the cells. They entered the jail district, a giant park of dozens and dozens of wooden constructions which could have been barns on Earth, each one surrounded by high barbed wire fences, in order to prevent any evasion. The hundreds of soldiers watching the prisoners were the last measure of security over the cells. Any attempt of escape seemed impossible.

The group was being led to one of the barns already occupied by several inmates. They could actually tell that these prisoners weren't humans only by the way they were looking. Some of them looked like humans but had fish scales covering their bodies, some others were red-skinned, or had short tentacles instead of their arms, it was definitely proving Bruce, and Hal who were the most skeptical that they indeed were on an alien planet. The gates opened and they were all pushed in. Their handcuffed were removed and without another word their guards left by the wire doors arranged in an airlock configuration, restraining anyone to run out in case they were faster than the guards themselves.

Inside the cell, the crowd of alien inmates quickly gathered around the newest arrival of prisoners, curious to see how humans looked like, they were all staring at them. One of aliens who looked like a six feet height grasshopper, was staring at Dinah's face with very widened-eyes, it was almost a comical spectacle.

"Got a problem?" She growled at the insect who instantly jumped back a few steps.

"S-s-sorry." He looked down as another guy patted him on what could be his shoulder.

"Excuse him, he's very shy." the man explained, this one looked like a real human but the way he blinked, with his eyelids coming from the left and right sides of his eyes, proved he wasn't one. "I assume you are the humans." he stated. "Everybody already talks about you here. Oh I forgot to introduce myself, Condo Arlik, I am from a planet called Phlon." He friendly smiled and extended his hand to them, hoping that one of the humans would take it.

After a few seconds of freezing, Arthur decided to shake the alien's hand who appeared to be a pacific one. "Arthur Curry" he presented himself. Instantly, the tension of the room dropped to the floor and the other humans were kindly greeted by the inmates.

Once the presentations were done, questions began to come out.

"Can you explain us what's going on out there?" Victor demanded. "I'm kinda lost by all of this."

"That's natural." Condo told him. "You're the only race who doesn't know there are other people in the universe. And you're also the youngest species so I hope I'll be able to light up the dark in your minds." he began to explain. "Before Zod and his army arrived on Sedna, this planet was a real paradise, I remember, my parents and I often went in vacation here." he smiled sadly at the memory.

"The people who lived here were called the Sednians, they're exactly like you. Same physical appearance, same anatomy, same body composition. No one can distinguish a human from a Sednian. From what I know Sedna was in relation with Krypton, the most advanced planet in the universe and also Zod's birth planet." he detailed. "One day Krypton explodes and Zod colonizes this planet with his guys."

"Wait, How could a planet explode? That's impossible!" Hal intervened.

"No one knows." he answered. "Some say Krypton's core was unstable, others think a terrorist did it, there are even theories about a collision between Krypton and another planet. In any case, it was the trigger that pushed Zod to come here."

"Zod has also told us about someone called Darkseid, who's the apparent silent partner of our kidnapping." Chloe's curiosity had to be filled or she would lose her mind with all the questions in her head.

"Ah Darkseid," another alien spoke up. "This thing is the devil himself, Satan! He is behind all of this." the man gestured at the cell. "He asks Zod to kidnap his potential foes on the planets he wants to conquer and once it's done, nothing can stop him and the invested planet becomes a scene of desolation where terror and fear rule over the people. I don't know how we were supposed to fight Darkseid on our planets but apparently we were the only hope for protecting our kinds against him." he paused. "But now is too late. Don't lure yourselves, my friends. No one has ever escaped this cells, our worlds are doomed. I'm sorry."

The atmosphere in the cell went completely cold by the alien's last statement, no words were spoken but everyone knew what the others were thinking at the moment. They were all visualizing their home planets they would never be able to tread the soils ever again. They were to live as prisoners until they died, the only thing they could do was gather their strengths if they wanted to survive the coming ordeals.

No one noticed Oliver who had quietly left to hide in a lone part of the cell when they entered in. He had to deal with his emotions right now. In less than three hours, he had been kidnapped by aliens, forced to kneel before a tyrant, humiliated, beaten up and his alter-ego had been revealed. He didn't know how to feel about all that. And to add more pain to all of this, he apparently was destined to die as a slave on a planet that wasn't his. He buried his face in his hands at the thought, hoping that when he looked up again, he would see the bright blue sky of Earth and feel the warmth of the yellow sun rays against his skin.

A soft hand on his shoulder made him lift his head and he found himself looking at Chloe's worried face.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

He sighed, and shrugged. "How am I supposed to feel about that? Not even a few hours ago I still believed aliens didn't exist, I believe I would spend my entire life on Earth and now here I am locked up on an alien world with no hope of escape." he expressed his feelings. "I- I fought so hard to protect what I stood for only to end up being kicked away and now they're telling me that everything I did for my world was only a waste of time, I can't believe that!" He paused and tried to control the flow of his emotions, he didn't know why he had opened up to her but it felt good to share the burden with someone. "I don't know how you can take all of this without even wincing.." "Oh Oliver, trust me it's just a mask, but inside of me I feel exactly what you're feeling right now." She felt the tears coming up and her heart tightened when she noticed a tear sliding down Oliver's cheek. "Come here." she pressed his head to her chest, trying to soothe him. He wrapped his arms around her petite frame and she let her emotions take the better of her too as she cried. They stood there in this comfortable embrace for what felt like eternity, none of them wanted to move. A few more minutes went by and finally, a worried voice was heard. "You okay guys?" They turned to see Bart standing in the doorway, looking like an child seeking vainly for his lost parents. Chloe let go of Oliver who walked toward the younger man. He hugged him in a brotherly gesture and patted his back. "I will not allow anything to happen to you, I promise Bart." "Dude! I'm not a kid anymore!" He whined causing him to chuckle, even in the darkest times, Bart was always there lighten the mood.

That was the moment that Bruce and the others chose to join them. The brunette billionaire looked at his old friend and spoke up, "I think we all have some talk to do." he smiled weakly.

* * *

In the mansion's dungeon, J'onn J'onzz lied there, lifted a few feet from the ground by his chained limbs, his head hung lifelessly on his chest. The creaking of the heavy steeled door opening made him jerk his head up quickly, his eyes went wide with fear, assuming what was coming. Zod slowly stepped inside, a whip in his hand. He looked up at him, his sadistic face could only make him presume that another one of the horrible moments he already had undergone so many times in the twenty past years was coming.

"It's time for our session, old friend."


	3. Kill or be Killed

The silent fell on the nine humans who had settled themselves in a circle formation, sit on some wooden chairs, dangerously eaten by probably some alien termites; and also, some hay which seemed to be the only comfortable thing that could be used as a mattress in this little cage.

They were all again staring at each others, asking silently who should start talking. They felt like staring contests on this planets were a habit they would have a hard time to get rid of. Either they stared at their captors, trying to prove them they weren't their personals puppets or, they stared at each other in wonder of what the other was feeling.

Seeing that it could last for hours and failing to see the point of wasting time in this hostile world, Oliver gave in.

"So.." He cleared his throat nervously, capturing all the attention on him. "Since it seems that our time is counted here, I think the faster we do this, the better." he proposed, getting nods of approving from everyone. It felt weird to be in this situation, having to present yourself in front of people disposed in circle. It was like a first meeting at an Anonymous Alcoholics reunion he assumed.

"Since apparently we're gonna spend every days of our lives together till we die, I guess there's no point of hiding anything from the others. Besides, we already know some secrets of each others, right?"

 _My god, that's pretty awkward there! I hate awkward moments!_ \- He complained internally.

"Well," He cleared his throat once again. "As you know I"m Oliver Queen... and also the Green Arrow" he lowered his voice on the last part, still not feeling comfortable with his exposed identity.

"I'm pretty sure everyone here knows me, and.. not that I'm egocentric or anything but.. I'm glad there are no paparazzi out there!" He tried in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood which seemed to work since he was getting some chuckles and little grins here and there.  
  
He went on with a more serious tone, matching with the sadness of his next statement. "I've grown up in Star City till my fifth birthday and then.." he gulped. He hated speaking about that topic with most people. "My-my parents died." He looked down. Even after all those years, it was still a very painful memory. "In a plane crash." He explained and quickly continued when he saw the sad faces of the guys in front of him. He didn't want to face their pity, he had given enough about that all his life.

"Then I've been tossed from cities to cities first, then from state to state and finally country to country. I've lived in every continent on the world, in nearly every country. The only good things about that is that now I can speak fluently fourteen different languages." He smirked at the incredulous eyes in front of him.  
  
"Well after a few years I went back to Uncle Saw's and I arrived in Kansas from which apparently some of you come from." He looked on his left to see Tess and Chloe nod and share a look. "There I met my old buddy Bruce." he smiled and waved at his brunette peer who returned the same face. "A few years went by, and me and Bruce found ourselves graduating high school." he smiled. "That's when it all started." He carried on with a dark expression.

"I decided to have a trip on my yacht, after graduating, so that I could tell my parents a last goodbye. I sailed to the place where their plane was last seen, since the authorities weren't even able to find it." He huffed. "But then, the same night, my boat was attacked by pirates. Their plan was to kidnap and ransom me. Unfortunately for them, I managed to escape the yacht but, I was lost on sea for days under a storm. After a few hours, I was starving and exhausted and I passed out on the lifeboat I had used to flee my captors. When I woke up, I was aground on an small island.  
  
After hours of fruitless searches, I came to the conclusion that I was alone in this piece of land lost in the middle of pacific ocean. So, I tried my best to survive for a few weeks. Luckily, I wasn't actually alone on the island since there were natives on it whom I met after a few adventures with a monkey." he smirked at the funny memory. He had to run after the stupid critter who stole one of his coconuts and he ended up finding a tribe of Indians. "Thankfully, they weren't hostile. In fact they accepted me like I was one of them. They taught me everything they knew. That's where I learned how to shoot arrows." He told the group. They looked totally fascinated by his story.

"I owe them a lot, without them, I would have my skeleton pieces being used as toothpicks by the macaques of the island right now." he laughed nervously. "I promised to myself that if one day, I was able to leave this island, I wouldn't waste my life anymore in alcohol and women and actually, help people in need." Oliver counted. "And thank god, I was saved. Two years after my arrival, A boat came by and picked me. I was back into civilization and - so I honored my promise. I trained myself for months, both physically and mentally to become the Green Arrow." He smiled.  
  
"I started a year ago. It was tough I can tell you." he chuckled. "I had a hard time dealing with the lack of sleep and in the end, It became almost unbearable, a few times I nearly ended up killed during night patrols. That's when I realized that I couldn't 'save the world' on my own." He looked in the direction of Bart, everyone imitated him making the young speedster grin and rise his chest proudly. Oliver smirked before going on. "A few months later, I met Bart, I discovered the amazing things he can do and offered him to work for me as my partner in crime. He patrolled in streets the nights I slept and vice versa." he winked at the teenager who beamed in response.

"After that, time went by and we discovered strange kidnappings in the Metropolis area so we decided to go there and investigate. That was the real reason I went to Kansas." He looked at Chloe apologetically. "Then, Chloe you know the following." She nodded. "A week later, I was having an interview with Chloe when we both got kidnapped by some sort of red glowing bubble, coming out of nowhere. Next thing we know, we were on this planet." he gestured for the ground, earning some noises of recognition from the others as he mentioned the 'red bubble'. "I think that's the best summary of my life I've ever done!" He laughed causing the others to follow his example, they still haven't completely realized what was really happening to them yet.

"Okay I think it's my turn now," Chloe spoke up and looked at Oliver who nodded. "I'm Chloe Sullivan, contrary to Oliver, that's totally normal you don't know me because I'm not famous nor billionaire." She looked at him with a bright smile, he smirked in return. His emotional outburst with Chloe a few moments earlier had helped him regain control over his emotions and find his smile again, even if it was a little forced because of the situation.

"I'm a Metropolis native but I moved to a little town nearby my birth city when I was a few years old. It's called Smallville. There I met Tess." She grinned radially at the redhead who was seated close to her. "Over the years we've become best friends, and we've never left our sides for long." They shared a knowing glance. The bond they had built over the years was strong between them, they were like sisters.  
  
"But, When I was seven, my mom left and never came back, she didn't give any reasons about that and I still don't know where she is." She looked down, as Tess slid a hand on her shoulder to support her. She knew how hard it was for her because she was there a few moments after it happened. But the worst came later. "And then," she sniffled "three years later, my dad died in an accidental explosion at work." Everyone seemed to feel sad for her, and Oliver felt his heart tighten a little at her revelation, he knew way too well how much pain it caused to loose their parents.

"My family couldn't take charge of me so I was adopted by the Kent's in Smallville." She smiled sadly while Tess continued to support her. "They've been wonderful parents, the best on Earth you could come across." Chloe grinned with teary eyes. "Thanks to them, I was able to get my life back on the road. I've become a good pupil and after graduating, I joined the Daily Planet as an intern. Journalism has always been my dream and I was so glad to join what's considered as the best newspaper in the world. My life has been still for almost two years when my editor ordered me to interview the newly arrived billionaire in town: Oliver Queen!" She smirked at him. "That's during this interview that we've been kidnapped together, and then.. we woke up here. Simple as that." She ended her resume.

Everyone nodded in understanding and Tess went on. Everybody spoke till no one was left. In the end, they all knew almost everything about the others. Tess was born in Smallville, the only child of a poor family of farmers. There, she spent all her childhood with Chloe till they graduated high school. Since Tess was a brilliant student, she was sent to Harvard, to study biology. She spent a few months working hard trying to get a diploma and living a normal life. Then, she'd been kidnapped by a red bubble when she was on her way back home after a long day of work.

Arthur, had an unbelievable story. At first, everyone was skeptical but he had strong proofs. The guy was what we could call a hybrid, half human, half fish. Apparently, his mother was an Atlante and his father a human. He lived till he was 9 in a realm underwater. But, because of some sort of political conflict, a war was declared and he was forced to exile. His mother was killed during the war so, he had to leave the water and went on lands. From there, he was raised by his father.  
  
He lived in Miami for most of his life and after graduating high school, Arthur joined a local university in purpose to learn about marine biology but he hardly came in the classes. After discovering the pollution level of waters and the lack of reaction from the governments, he decided to fight people who caused harm to his vital environment. While traveling around the globe, he became some sort of ecological terrorist, by blowing up every polluting facilities he came across, always checking the building twice in case anyone was left in before the explosion.

As he was swimming in direction of Australia, the bubble plunged underwater and took him in. When he regained consciousness, he was on Sedna and the soldiers, injected him a chemical substance he assumed was a product which prevented his body from becoming too thirsty since he needed to drink a full bottle of water every hour if he didn't want to be weakened. After that, he was sent to the room where they all first met.

Dinah, from her side, had had a very still childhood in Gotham City before moving to Metropolis in her teen years because of the increasing level of crime in Gotham. After her mother died in unknown circumstances, a man went by looking for her and proposed to train and teach her everything she would need to fight for justice. Her mentor turned out to be Ted Grant, a former heavyweight boxing champion who apparently had known her mother in the past.  
  
She had hardly completed her training with him that, she was kidnapped by the kryptonians. When she arrived here, they quickly installed a device around her throat. A sort of necklace made in hard metal from which two needles stood out and were plunged in her vocal cords, rendering her unable to use her sonic scream that she had developed since she was twelve.

Hal, seemed to be an older version of Bart. The guy was full of life and joking around. It contrasted with his dreary past which became with a mournful event. Once, his father was a successful pilot for the Air Force basement near Coast City. Hal took him as model. When he was very young, he saw his own father burn alive in an accident during a test flight for the army. From there, his mother raised him and his two brothers alone in their house of Coast City.

He swore to himself he would one day become pilot like his father, and he did. He joined a specialized school for pilots when he was fifteen. Hal was very skilled in the matter and quickly became a very good test pilot for the Air Force. Months later, he was in flight with his comrades when the red bubble appeared right in front of him and absorbed Hal by passing through the plane like a ghost would do. Right now, the army should have found his plane crashed in the middle of the sea with no one inside and wondering how Hal could have disappeared like that. If only they knew about Darkseid, Hal would be the last thing in their minds.

Victor was probably the one who was the less affected by his kidnapping. He seemed to have suffered a lot in his life and before the kryptonians kidnapped him, he was completely alone. He spent all his childhood in Granville near Metropolis, his young years were calm and full of happiness when one day, his parents, his little sister and he had a car accident a few weeks before his eighteenth birthday. They all died in the accident except him. In fact, when he woke up, he found himself being tied on an operating table and a crazy scientist telling him he had saved him. In reality, the guy had replaced all his damaged organs by robots parts. Now, most of his body was composed of metal and wires.

The scientist turned out to be paid by the one and only Lex Luthor who had had found a test subject for his newest project in Victor. Fortunately, thanks to the help of a laboratory assistant, he succeeded to evade the lab he was being held in. The cyborg then went to find his girlfriend Katherine and they together fled and hid from Lex. But, the changes in Victor's body, were too much for her, she became afraid of him and they broke up a few months after his evasion. It nearly destroyed him.  
  
Not caring about his safety anymore, he went back to Metropolis where he lived as a homeless for months, wandering alone in the dark streets of the city and waiting for death to get to him. At one point, he was captured and sent on Sedna. For him, living as homeless on Earth or prisoner on Sedna, didn't change anything. He was from far, the most destroyed of them.

After Victor was Bart's turn. The speedy-guy was born in Chicago were he spent his first thirteen years peacefully with his family. One day, an unexpected event changed his life forever. He was very stubborn and curious and this day, he couldn't resist, picking a look inside a private lab. He ended up drinking a strange red drink which tasted like a horrible chemical substance. Having a hard time breathing, he exited the lab with difficulty and crawled in the middle of an empty street nearby, hoping that someone would see him.  
  
A few minutes earlier, a storm a storm had risen and when Bart was feeling his last breath coming, a thunder struck him and he was magically healed from his breathing issue. Feeling relieved and still not believing his luck, he happily ran back to his home but, oddly his legs were kicking violently and he left his spot with an amazing speed, leaving behind him only a blur of red since he loved wearing this color. A few more tries later, he found he could run faster than light itself.

Thrilled with this power, he used it all the time but his parents became afraid of him and a few weeks later, they kicked him out of home. Bart became a petty thief, in hope to survive he was stealing food. One night at Star City, Oliver found him enjoying the meal he had just stolen from a luxurious restaurant. The Green Arrow told him he was capable of doing much greater things than becoming a thief and managed to convince him to join his team. They quickly became friends and worked together to protect Oliver's birth city. A year later, he was captured by the bubble when he was in Mexico, looking for the local food he was craving.

Finally, Bruce talked. He explained how quiet his life was till his parents were murdered in front of him by some drug addict. He was then raised by his family's butler; Alfred. As Gotham was a very dangerous town, Alfred decided to send him to Excelsior in Topeka instead of one of Gotham's high school. There he met Oliver. In a matter of weeks, the both of them became best friends and developed a brother-like relationship.  
  
But, after high school, Oliver was declared missing for two years and Bruce had to go to Princeton University. He asked Alfred to fund an expedition to seek for his lost friend, but the team showed up empty-handed several times. Thinking his brother was dead, he buried himself in studies when one day, the district attorney of Gotham, demanded the judge to liberate his parent's murderer. Bruce went to the audience intending to kill the bastard but a woman hired by the Gotham's mob boss preceded him.

Later, his childhood friend, Rachel showed him how the city was affected by the economical crisis, and the main mobster of the city: Carmine Falcone was destroying everything his parents stood for. Bruce went to confront Falcone about what he was doing to Gotham but he ended up being kicked out of the old man's personal club. A few minutes later, he was running toward a boat in hope to leave America and travel around the world so that he could learn more about criminals and fight them. But, at that moment, he was kidnapped by the bubble.

Most of their stories were unbelievable, they all shared several common points, they had all been abused by life at some point and were all going to stand for justice. Now they were united in a cell on an alien planet but still, they felt they've found what could be great allies, friends, and even perhaps, a new family.

If Zod's words were right, they were destined to be heroes, which meant they probably would have met one day even if Zod had never captured them. Maybe they would have become a team, who knows?

They've know each others only for a few hours but already, a feeling of mutual respect and friendship was going through them all. They all knew it would be the only good thing coming up on this hostile territory. A smile crept on their lips. They may be in deep trouble but at least, they were not alone anymore.

* * *

"Rise! Rise!"

The two words echoed in the cell as the wire doors were slammed open. From his position, Oliver saw by the corner of the eye the alien inmates quickly stand up before the soldiers. He figured they should do the same or things were going to get ugly for them.

"Stand up guys, we should stand up!" he whispered as they all quickly obeyed.

Steps were heard approaching, they were all wondering what the guards were here for as Basqat appeared in the room.

"You!" He pointed at Oliver. "General Zod would like to see you."

He stared at the soldier, trying to see what was coming for him, he turned to look at his peers who all nodded in support and looked worried for him.

Basqat losing patience, grabbed him forcefully by the neck and shouted, "Come! Now!".

As he dragged him towards the doors, the soldier looked at his subordinates and nodded toward the humans. "Take them to the arena! General Zod wants them to watch." He ordered. "Don't forget to tie up the kid by the ankles!"

"Yes Sir!"

* * *

The humans were placed as spectators, in the middle of a hysteric crowd. People were yelling and going all crazy at two people engaged in a hand-to-hand fight in what could be defined as the fight zone, surrounded by the mass of people. The arena itself was pretty simple, it was delimited by barbed wires coming at knee-height, it was the only thing that stopped the spectators from invading the arena besides the guards who were probably kryptonians too.

They arrived right at the moment when one of the fighters was given a dagger by a guard, the other one who apparently lost the combat was stabbed without pity right into the heart by the winner who after killing the guy threw his arms in the air, shouting cries of victory. It caused the crowd to go crazier and clamor even louder at him. Some of them where cheering the champion, other were cursing and insulting him, grabbing handfuls of sand from the ground and throwing it at him, in a pathetic attempt to hurt the winner. The guy didn't even bother to look at the offending crowd and moved in front of the elevated place where a throne made in bones could be seen. Due to her small height, Chloe wasn't able to see who was sit in the throne. She pushed one or two people to take a closer look. She rolled her eyes at the sight. _Of course, it's obvious!_ \- She thought. She should have known that none other than Zod was seated in this throne. The so-called General seemed to enjoy exhibiting his apparent superiority.

The fighter knelt in front of him in a strange way, his left arm thrown behind his back and the other one across his chest, his fist right above his heart. That was the first time she saw someone kneel that way. But then again, it wasn't in her habits to make everyone kneel before her like Zod did.

The latter waved at his guards who led the fighter out of the arena, leaving it empty and making the crowd agitate in impatience. She could hear some people making their bets on the next fight when she eavesdropped two men talking about the fighters.

"So who's gonna fight next?" an unshaved, thin man asked to another one, his voice sounding like a caw. "I was told a human will be part of it." the fat one replied.

"A human?" The first guy echoed with wide eyes, surely he had never seen any human in his life.

"Yeah, I heard they're all pretty faces with hot bodies and are all woman magnets but their fighting skills aren't worth anything." He snickered.

"Oh yeah? And the other one?" He was excited, Chloe could tell it. It was the first time he was going to see a human fight and die.

The fat man groaned in pity, "He's a tough one!" He confessed. "It's one of the fighters Master Zod has personally trained, he's already won several fights."

"Oh I see!" The smirk on the guy's lips was unmissable. "The human doesn't stand a chance, does he?"

"He'll be lucky if his pretty face is still in one piece when it's over! Not that it really matters anyway, he'll get killed in the end, face in one piece or not!" they both laughed at their sinister joke while Chloe felt fear invading her system, there was only one human that was going to fight in any seconds now, the others were all with her in the crowd. This human was Oliver.

"Chloe, you okay? You look so pale" Tess fussed when she reached her. Noticing Chloe was looking everywhere as if she were seeking for something, or someone. She didn't answer her and looked paler and paler by every second. "Chloe!" She put her hands on her shoulders, trying to make her look at her. "Chloe!" She shook her and finally succeeded at making eye contact with her friend.

"What's going on?" Her concern was unmistakable as she looked deeply into her eyes, trying to find out what was worrying her blond friend

"I-.. Oliver!" She managed to say between her attempts to breath, starting to hyper-ventilate. "Ollie!" She jumped out of Tess's arms and tried to reach for the barrier. Tess turned round and saw Oliver being dragged in the arena. She felt her body stiffen as she realized that one of her newly found friend was going to fight and probably die in front of them and they wouldn't be able to do anything to save him.

"Tess!" Hal's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Ah Tess you're here!" he smiled but quickly took a grave expression when he noticed her face.

"What's happening guys?" Dinah reached them, followed by the other humans who were making their way through the crowd, Arthur was helping Bart walking since he was completely handcuffed.

Tess nodded toward the arena, they all felt silent for a few seconds. Inside, was Oliver, standing alone and scanning the crowd. He was waiting for his opponent. Gone were his dark-blue and white striped dress shirt, his black pants and his expensive shoes. The business-like appearance he had had when he was kidnapped had been replaced by a used sleeveless shirt and jeans. It was the way the fighters were dressed, a simple outfit, unlikely to cause any trouble during the fight.

A guard came to a halt in front of him and removed his handcuffs. The young hero patted his wrists as they were freed from the tight grip of the metal ties.

He tried to figure out what was going on but she incessant cries of the excited crowd were getting him a headache and unsettling him.

"Ollie!" He heard a soft voice, he knew way too well now. Turning round, he saw Chloe in the crowd, looking at him worriedly. Oliver moved toward her quickly but was stopped by one of the guards.

"Not this way." he blocked him and nodded behind him as the crowd went wild with excitement.

He turned back toward the throne. In front of it, his opponent, who had just entered the arena, was standing calmly, thirty feet or so away from him. The guy was seriously imposing. Oliver remarked he must have been 7'' tall, he looked slightly stocky, heavily muscled, and some scars were covering his bare chest as a proof that he wasn't inexperienced in the matter. The fighter had long dark-brown hair, a tailback beard and scornful eyes expressing all the rage bubbling inside of him that he was barely able to contain. He was the typical idea of the wrestler: A giant piece of meat ready to crack every bone in your body.

The crowd's shouts surrounding them became almost overwhelming. Oliver was sure he was going to be deaf if he stayed for too long in this place.

The guy turned his back on Oliver so that he was looking toward Zod. They exchanged a sadistic look and he nodded toward Oliver. Immediately, the giant looked back at him and laughed darkly as he paced slowly toward him despite the pressing cries of crowd who wanted more and more. He stopped when they were a few feet away from each other. Both turning into a circle around each other, both trying to decipher their opponent as the crowd was booing them in impatience, still shouting.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Their cries never stopped.

Several dozens of seconds passed by slowly, the two fighters never breaking eye contact as they continued pacing in circle. Both of them were gauging each other, seeking in the eyes of the other any sign of fear or weakness. Finally, the guy lost his patience and attacked. Quickly, he thrust himself forwards. Oliver felt a strong fists grab his hair painfully. His head was forced forwards, giving his aggressor more access to his back. The next second, Oliver was sent on the ground by a hard elbow jab in his back. Gasping in surprise, Oliver tried to find his balance back by using his forearms as support on the ground. The pain on his back testifying of the immense strength of the man.

The blond human laughed as he stood up. "You know, you're fast for a big guy!" He sneered. "Didn't think an oaf like you was capable of moving so quickly!" Oliver tried to make him angry which seemed to work as the guy clenched his jaw and charged towards him again. As quickly as he could, Oliver dodged the attack, moving sideway. Not giving the guy time to realize what was happening, he kicked him swiftly on the ribs, forcing him to cry out of pain. His right hand covering the hurt area of his body as he forced his tall frame up. Oliver smirked.

"I knew you couldn't avoid this one, you're too fat!"

He screamed in frustration and once again threw his figure toward the billionaire. Succeeding at catching Oliver's left shoulder, he punched his face twice and finally grabbed his body. Lifting him up, He furiously tossed Oliver in the air behind him. The crowd went all excited as Oliver landed on the floor with a dull thud.

 _God, I didn't think he was so strong_ – Oliver immediately regretted, unnerving the guy.

He tried to get on his feet but was kicked hard in the guts, forcing him to groan loudly as he felt the pain spread into his belly. Rolling on the ground, He tried to force some air into his lungs. A strong hand caught him again. The fighter lifted him up by the hair and elevated his unused fist in the air in purpose to hurt him more. He didn't have time to register what was happening when Oliver promptly pushed with his legs and escaped his grip. Quickly, the hero snared his lower legs. Oliver groaned loudly as he transferred all his strengths in the task of lifting the 260 lbs weighted frame of the bastard. Using his trained abs, the muscles of his lower back and his muscled thighs, he sharply pushed and leaped up. The next second, the guy felt himself being utterly lifted from the ground under the surprised noises of the people watching incredulously the scene playing before them. Oliver was holding the man up several inches from the floor, standing straight as he did support his weight. The fighter's eyes went wide as he felt his body bend dangerously forwards, in direction of the floor. He bent in the air head forward as his weight was sent to his upper body, losing his balance he fell to the ground. His face hitting loudly the barbed wires delimiting the arena close to the crowd. A long piercing scream of pain and horror emanated from him as he felt his face being crushed by the barbed fences. The sharp points of the wire cutting deep into his flesh as easily as a knife would into a beefsteak. Blood flowing over the iron fence. Several people shivered as they tried to imagine the pain he was suffering.

Oliver fell to his knees, exhausted. Supporting his upper weight with his arm pressed on the ground as his chest heaved rapidly, he felt heart beat incredibly fast in response at the effort he furnished to beat the fighter. Lifting a such weight had sucked all strengths out of him. He took deep breaths in purpose to calm his, now sensitive body. The man had been quite the challenge for him, and he had been once more given the occasion to prove his worth on the battlefield. Oliver lifted his head up as the crowd quickly adapted to the reversal of situation and already the first deadly requests were screamed.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Oliver stood up, turned round and stopped dead in track at the sight of his opponent standing in front of him.

He had managed to remove himself from the wires and stand up, anger dominating his bleeding features. One of his eyes was drilled and deep cuts were scattering his face, making him unrecognizable. Blood pouring from everywhere on his neck and chest. Screaming in anger he charged towards the blond human and grabbed him by the waist. Once again sending him flying in the air behind him. Oliver hit the ground once more. Unable to find enough force, Oliver didn't move, he was still lying on the floor like a dead body.

He felt his forearm being caught harshly.

"I'm gonna make you cry your mom, you piece of shit!" the man exclaimed.

He extended Oliver's forearm and prepared himself for the next blow. Suddenly realizing that he was willing to break his arm, Oliver reacted quickly. He grabbed a handful of sand and threw it in his already damaged face. The scornful combatant cried out of pain as the offending grains of sand came in contact with his only left eye and penetrated inside the several cuts on his face, accentuating the pain he was feeling. The man loosened his grip, letting Oliver fall backwards. Helped by the adrenaline pumping through his veins, the young billionaire gathered all his strengths left and stood up.

"My turn now! No mercy for you, big fat slob!" Oliver huffed as he breathed loudly in anger and pain. The guy had really unnerved him, he was not a doll he could threw around like that. Jaw clenched, eyes narrowed and temples stiffened, he drove his fists intensely in the fighter's guts, not letting him any time to recover between the punches. The guy couldn't take it anymore and fell backward against a pillar, taking it as support. He tried to get up again but was stopped by Oliver's fist as it connected with his cheekbone. His head hitting the pillar, sending him to the edge of unconsciousness.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd went on again.

Seeing that the fighter wasn't going to move, one of the guards stepped toward a weakened Oliver and presented him a long dagger. "Take it, and kill him." He ordered.

"No."

"No?" The soldier raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a killer!" He answered and looked toward Zod. "I'm not a killer!" He called again.

It caused the crowd to fall silent which had never happened before. Everyone was staring at him as Zod stood up and smiled from his elevated place.

"In the arena," He spoke up. "We answer failure, with the only thing suitable..." He paused, accenting the meaning of the following word. "death!"

The crowd agitated once more, shouting and cheering from every side their leader. It was obvious those people were controlled by Zod. The real inmates weren't violent nor bloodthirsty.

Zod descended the staircase from his throne and moved closer to Oliver, getting his dagger out of its sheath. Looking at him directly in the eyes, he pointed the dagger at the blond man before quickly turning and stabbing the loser of the fight in the heart, killing him outrightly. The crowd went crazy in response, cheering Zod for his kill as the latter looked back at Oliver.

"You didn't have to kill him!" He shouted.

"In any arena, one fighter walks away." he calmly responded. "Kill or be killed is the rule here!" Zod voiced out in an higher tone, putting an emphasis on every word.

"You bastard!"

Zod laughed and began to walk away but stopped before even getting two feet far from him and turned back.

"Oh and consider this your one free pass." He warned him. "If you fail to finish the job again, it will be you dragged along by your heels!" he finished before leaving all while laughing.

The guards stepped toward him and led him out of the arena. "Come on wimp! Let's get you back home!" One of them sniggered causing the others to chuckle.

* * *

On the way back to the cell, Oliver was stopped by his escort when they saw Kal approaching them, the same contemptuous look on his face that he had when they first encountered. Looking fixedly into the billionaire eyes, Kal smirked and spoke up. "I can't wait to fight against you, Queen! That's such a shame you haven't brought that stupid little green suit of yours," He looked at him as if he were a steak seconds away from being eaten in two bites. "It would have been so spectacular to see the mighty Green Arrow fall in front of me, begging for my pity!" Kal and the guards laughed as he allowed them to drag him to his cell. Oliver didn't say a word, he knew that if he had beaten the other guy then, perhaps he was able to win over Kal but the problem was that the kryptonians had powers. He decided not to think about it and first concentrate on recovering before heading to fight the kryptonian.

* * *

"Do you think he's okay?" Bruce demanded.

His peers remained silent despite his question, it was clear they were as concerned as him for Oliver's health. They had been sent back in the cell a few minutes ago, they had seen Oliver fight against what should be called a real mountain of muscles but yet, he managed to win without any other weapons than his own hands. It made no doubt that Oliver was very skilled, they all knew that if someone else were in this cage instead of Oliver, he probably wouldn't be here anymore. Of course, they had learned hours ago that their billionaire friend was the one and only Green Arrow which meant that his physical shape was almost, if not, perfect. They felt like they hadn't given him any credit, it was surely the most impressive fight they've seen in their lives and it will always remind them to never ever, underestimate the hero.

"I told you, he was gonna win!" Bart assured in a jovial tone. Over the last year of partnership with Oliver, he had seen him doing things he never thought a simple human could do. The first time they went on mission together, they had to capture a mob boss of Star City who was heavily guarded. When they broke into the luxurious house, Bart was busy locating their target while Oliver had to take care of the guards. The problem was that they didn't think there would be so many guards. So while Bart was away, running around the villa, Oliver took down twenty-three guys alone in a giant fight inside the main hall. When the Flash came up with his target tied up beside him, he was still fighting against five men and still managed to knock them all.

Seeing a green leather clad vigilante walking toward him with almost thirty bodies lying on the floor, had seemed completely unrealistic to the young speedster. Yet, it was real, Bart knew it too well. Before that event, he only thought this kind of things were possible in movies like Matrix or The Transporter. That very day, he was proven wrong by Oliver and at that moment, Bart swore to himself he would always respect his mentor, because he knew what he was capable of. Green Arrow always managed to accomplish his tasks as well as him, even sometimes better than him, without any powers. Oliver was the perfect example of what a plain human was capable of when it came to fights.

"He win against a nearly 7'' tall beast and you knew he was gonna win? C'mon short-stuff, What are you gonna tell me next? That you have another power and it consist in seeing the future?" Dinah snorted.

In response, Bart only stuck his tongue out at her as the guards were dragging a very beaten Oliver. It didn't stop the kryptonians from launching him on the ground without caring if it hurt him or not.

Everyone rushed to his side as he tried to get up. "Whoa, slow down brother, you've just been beaten up by Hulk Hogan himself so just sit up, don't push your luck too far by trying to get up." Bruce stopped him.

Oliver laughed in response and cringed as it hurt his already damaged ribs. "Very kind of you to take care of me like this daddy, but I'm a big guy, you know?" He smirked playfully at the man he considered as his brother who returned him an unconvinced look.

"At least, I'm happy to see that your humor is still in one piece!" He smiled as he patted him on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I'm going through the whole David against Goliath thing." he winced as he felt his jaw ache while speaking.

"I can confirm that guys!" Bart happily exclaimed, he made a face when everyone turned toward him. "What? Hey it's true! I gotta back him up, since you appeared so unconvinced that he was going to make it!"

The others rolled their eyes at him before getting their attention back to the billionaire.

"You need to be nursed, man." Hal pointed at the several cuts on his face, as 'yes' of approval were spoken by Victor and AC.

Chloe who had remained silent here, had time to notice all the cuts and bruises over Oliver's body. She needed to make sure he was okay, she couldn't see this man who deserved to be considered as a savior, looking so hurt physically.

"You sure you're okay?" She asked, her teary eyes locked with his. His smile faltered slightly at the pain displayed in her big green orbs before he forced a new smile on his face again and nodded. "I still could use some nursing."

Chloe smiled weakly at him and looked at the others who were silently studying the two of them. "Can you help him get here while I get some water to tend his wounds?" She nodded toward a quiet corner of the cell. They agreed and began helping him walk to the place indicated by the little blonde.

"Do you want some help Chloe?" Tess asked her as she held her out some compresses left by the guards to them.

"No it's okay." her shaky voice surprised the redhead, who began to look worriedly at her best friend. Chloe breathed deeply, trying to control her emotions and spoke up again. "I got this." she said firmly before walking toward the wounded man whilst Tess watched her with a knowing smile.

* * *

Chloe and Oliver were alone in one of the few rooms in their cell. Thankfully, it had several rooms delimited by thin panels of woods, acting as walls. It wasn't a real chamber but it could still give them some privacy.

Oliver watched the young woman who was carefully tending his wounds on his chest. Her touch was gentle, almost hesitant, as if she was afraid of hurting him even further. All she had to nurse him was water, a few clean compresses and bandages yet, she did her best to tend him.

It felt good for him to have a beautiful woman here, all for himself, who was almost completely bent over him with her hands on his body. It reminded him that it had been a long time since he had had the occasion to feel the touch of a woman since he's stopped his playboy habits. Despite all of his attempts to not focus on her closeness, he couldn't stop the heat spreading through all his body.

No words were spoken between them since she had started her task and it wasn't helping ease the tension in the room. Chloe had been carefully avoiding eye contact with him, in attempt not to show him her concern and pain but, it became more difficult as she moved towards the cuts on his face. There was something in his deep brown eyes that made her heart flutter, she didn't know why but she felt attached to this man.

Oliver felt her little hands shake as she was tending a cut on his bruised lips. He gently grabbed them, causing her to jump in surprise and look him in the eyes. For a moment, they simply stared into each other's eyes as they felt heat welling inside of them and some other things like... _Were this feelings?_

Oliver couldn't help but move his face closer to hers slowly as he stared into her eyes, he looked down at her lips and it hit him! He furiously wanted to kiss her, maybe because of the situation, the heat between them, maybe because of something else, he couldn't think about it anymore or he was going to turn crazy. _She_ was making him crazy with her beautiful green orbs which looked at him tenderly.

Their lips were now inches away from each other's, already parted and waiting for the inevitable. Neither of them ever breaking eye contact, holding their breaths, and slowly closing the gap between them. As Oliver was about to finally reach her lips, a high pitched sound coming from the next room where the others were gathered reverberated, causing them both to back away quickly from each other and increase the tension higher between them.

* * *

In the room next to theirs, voices came through. "Geez! You scared the life outta me dude! You know you're pretty scary in those dark corridors man?" Bart placed a hand over his heart, slowly recovering from his outburst as he grabbed the pile of iron pans he had pushed down during his surprised moment. The grasshopper who had nearly bumped into Bart as they both came across each other in a corner of the corridor excused himself.

"S-sorry, dude?" His last word was voiced in a question tone, asking the meaning of it.

"You don't know what 'dude' means?" the smaller man asked.

"No." The other one simply answered.

"You're hopeless dud- Whatever!" Bart lamely snorted as he realized he was going to use the same word again. "You know it means buddy, friend, basically it is kinda a nickname, okay dude?" He smirked.

"Kay-Okay!" The alien stammered.

"How can you be so clumsy, green-bug?" Bart stared strangely at him. Once again, Condo Arlik came to his rescue and talked for his friend to Bart.

"Actually, He's very shy because he's been here since he's very young, he's seen a lot of shocking things in there." He explained.

"Ah okay, sorry buddy, I didn't know."

* * *

While Bart was busy chatting with his aliens friends, he wasn't aware that he's just ruined a moment of intimacy between two blondes of the band. They both carefully averted looking into each other's eyes as Chloe blushed deeply and Oliver loudly cleared his throat in a futile attempt to make things a little less awkward. Chloe tended his wounds as quickly as she could while still making sure that her job was nicely done. When she was finished, Oliver tried to look into her eyes one more time but she cautiously avoided his gaze as she moved toward the exit. She turned toward him while still looking at her feet, offering him a shy smile before leaving and trying to dissipate the heat in her cheeks.

Oliver smiled widely at the cuteness she was displaying when she felt embarrassed, before his face went darkened by frustration. He dropped his head down, letting it fall against the table he was lying on with a thud, and sighed loudly. Cursing after Bart and his unmistakable ability to ruin things without even knowing it.

 _Hope Bart sleeps with an eye open or he's not gonna wake up tomorrow!_ \- Oliver swore to himself, knowing that even if he wanted, he could never do that.

Oliver closed his eyes, savoring the fresh memories of the moment he had shared with Chloe while she was nursing him. He let himself fall into a restful and restorative sleep with the image of Chloe smiling at him in his mind.

Tess noticed the little blonde leaving the room where Oliver was, and moving to a lone place of the cell where the red sunset could be seen. She saw her friend grabbing gently the wire fence as support and looking at the sunset. The redhead checked over Oliver who was apparently sleeping on that table, a grin on his lips. He looked much better now that Chloe has nursed him. She knew she would take good care of him. She reached her best friend as she heard her mumble something to herself. The little blonde was visibly having one of her usual internal struggles.

"What's happening to me?" She heard her whisper.

"I don't know, maybe you could share more with the rest of the class?" Tess grinned at Chloe's sudden jump of surprise. "Judging by the expression on your face, I conclude something must have happened between you two in that little hideout!" She smirked while Chloe rolled her eyes at the redhead enthusiasm.

"There's no way I'm gonna talk to you about that!" She pointed her finger at Tess, daring her to try getting more from her.

"Come on!" She groaned in exasperation. "I've seen how you were acting when you saw him fight in the arena, I was afraid you would faint in the middle of this bloodthirsty crowd. You're feeling something for the handsome Mr. Queen, aren't you?" She grinned as she noticed a smile escaping Chloe's control as she said her words.

"I don't know.."

"Chlo, listen to me." She waited for her blonde friend to look up into her eyes. "I saw you hurting for years over a guy who finally turned out to be a bloody psychopath. This guy never noticed you because he was out of his mind, but that doesn't mean that Oliver will be like him, you understand?" Chloe nodded silently, fighting the tears that welled up at the mention of her past love life.

"Usually it's Lois who take the role of the big sister, but you're actually filling it well you too." Chloe hugged her best friend. "I miss her you know.." She let her tears fell from her eyes as Tess comforted her.

"I know, Chlo. Me too.."

* * *

"Twenty years!"

"Ow!"

Zod shouted as he prepared another blow, ready to hit again the Martian hidden in his dungeon.

"It has been exactly twenty years since I first locked you up here!"

His whip slammed loudly on the already bleeding back of J'onn J'onzz. Another yell of pain resonating in the room.

"And you know what?" He hit him again as he went on. "I still enjoy very much proving you how useless you are in Kal-El's so called 'destiny'" He mocked the Martian. "Do you really think he was going to be earth savior?" The whip slammed again and J'onn's cries never ceased to increase as the pain he was feeling was piercing through his entire body.

"You were wrong! You were wrong!" Zod huffed, striving on the black-skinned man's poor back.

"One day you will fall Zod! Kal-El will discover his true origins sooner or later and you will fall!" the victim croaked, feeling his throat hurt with every word he was saying because of its dryness provoked by his incessant screams.

"Really?" the whip connected once again with the Martian's damaged skin. "He's ruling hell with me! By my side as the good puppet he is!" Zod continued to make the tied man scream in pain. "And the day he discovers the truth, he will realize his entire life was just a bad lie and he'll beg me to kill him like the weak person he should be if he were being raised by Jor-El! Ow!" He shouted as he hit him again and again and again.

Finally, when he had enough of hearing the Martian's cries and pleas, Zod dropped the whip and moved toward his front face. Grabbing his chin painfully, he forced him to look into his eyes.

"Kal-El has embraced his dark side." He whispered to him. "And once you're in, there is no. coming. Back." He paused between the last three words, giving them a deeper meaning as he was leaving the room. A hand over the knob, he turned towards the Martian a last time and grinned. "See you tomorrow my friend."

And with that he left, locking the room and securing the door as another little blast of fire lightened up the room for a few seconds before disappearing again.

J'onn was left hanging a few feet from the ground for the night in the dark room, alone.

He let his emotions take the better of him as he cried, salvaging him of twenty years of incessant torture, confinement and humiliation. He had an amazing amount of powers but none of them was good enough to help him escape this hell, even his telepathy. The walls of his room were specially designed in order to stop his mind influence from reaching other people's brains like Kal-El's.

Yet, even after all this misery and powerlessness, he had a feeling he should have hope. Somewhere in his head, an almost inaudible voice told him that the arrival of the humans on Sedna was the first sign of the fall of the House of Zod and the rise of a new age of freedom, fraternity and happiness.

Even if, this voice was probably wrong, it was the only thing that was left to him. Everything had been taken from him, even his family, and his race...

A few years ago Zod announced him that his entire birth planet had been razed over by an unknown but extremely powerful force. Everyone, every Martian had been killed, even his wife and his daughter. He had felt alone for years. Alone and empty. Reduced to be the doll Zod used to ease his nerves on.

In spite of all of this, he decided to listen to that tiny voice inside his head.

Zod will fall.

He had hope.


	4. Goddamn World

The first red rays of Rao appeared in the horizon, announcing the start of another day on the planet. Another day full of rage, violence, and hate. A day similar to the past ones as well as the coming ones. The shining rays were slowly illuminating the sky, filling it with beautiful reddish colors, giving the Big Red a look of paradise, making it the perfect picture of peace. A beautiful picture which unfortunately wasn't reflecting the reality of Sedna's inhabitants. All of them knew that you can't go by looks. Under the surface was hidden the harsh truth. A reality which saw everyday dozens and dozens of people die and hundreds hurt, tortured and humiliated.

For Kal, on the other hand, this rising day was full of promises. And this day had started in a very good way for him. Last night, he picked up two young women in the mass of the Sednians Zod had dominion over. He dragged them both in his bed to please his body's needs. They kept him entertained all night and this morning, they were going to be thrown back in the violent crowd of infected people. To Kal, they were just two more faceless girls on his list, they were no more to him than objects used to satisfy him. Even if he was in relationship with Faora's sister, Vala, it didn't stop him from sleeping with those girls. Everybody knew about that and no one, even Vala, seemed to care. Krypton's culture seemed to be very tolerant about relationships, they were all raised by those principles so it didn't seem disturbing at all to them.

The red light emanating from the sun came on his face, tickling his closed eyelids and slowly drawing him out of his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on his queen sized bed, two female bodies wrapped to his sides, offering him the heat of her bodies. He extricated himself out of bed and walked over to the huge tinted window of his bedroom. Admiring the sunrise, Kal smiled. Life couldn't be more perfect to him. He was living the great life, no restriction, no rules, he could do everything he wanted without having to report to anyone. Women were launching themselves at his feet, he and his parents were ruling an entire planet, he could have everything or everyone he wanted. He wanted something, he took it. It was as simple as that.

The way Zod raised him had turned him into a heartless man, almost bloodthirsty. He had fought in the arena for years against the best opponents he could come across and he always won. He loved sensing the adrenaline pumping in his veins while fighting. But, he enjoyed much more the moment when he had to kill. The crowd screaming, almost begging him to finish the job, the fear in the man's eyes when he was about to slid the dagger into him, he couldn't ever live without it. He had the power to choose between life and death over the fighters and every time he killed one of them, he was thrilled.

_He loved his life way too much._

In the beginning, it wasn't easy. He always had a voice in his head which told him what he was doing was wrong, that he wasn't a killer. For several years, he had trouble finding his place in this new society but, after some time, he finally succeeded to get rid of this damn voice. At first, it became quieter and quieter till the day he eventually buried it in the depths of his mind, silencing it, forever he thought.

He let his mind wander several seconds more on his life when he found himself thinking about the humans. They seemed arrogant, rebel and strong-headed. It was going to be exciting to break them, hurt them during the fights and eventually make them beg him to kill them.

Kal felt a smirk creep on his lips. The humans didn't know anything about this world and they were about to figure out how prisoners lived here. Today was going to be their first complete day on this planet. A planet which will become the place they will all die, one by one. And Oliver was going to be the first to experience the nightmare since he humiliated Zod in person.

* * *

In the cells, the humans are waking up, their sleep interrupted by the screams of prisoners coming from different cells. Nights were cold and damp but still, it was silent. No one was screaming because everyone was asleep and the only guards watching the cells were often busy abusing a prisoner in a silent corner so that Zod wouldn't hear his or her yells. The "King" of Sedna had imposed his soldiers not to disturb the prisoners at night unless he gave them free hand about certain inmates. This rule didn't came by a generous gesture towards the prisoners, but because Zod wanted them to be somewhat able to fight in the arena during the day. Still, it didn't stop some bold kryptonians to break the rule and torture people while they were sleeping. Fortunately for them, it didn't happen very often. Kryptonians were often too attached to their leader to disobey him.

Nevertheless, The peaceful that was dominating the nights was abruptly overtaken by new screams, cries of plea, pain, humiliation as soon as the sun was pointing in the horizon.

For the humans, their first night on the Big Red had been steady. Yet, they stayed awake for most of it, watching seconds tick by slowly, very slowly. Checking if someone was going to surprise them during their sleeps but, no one came. After a few hours, exhaustion took over them and they drifted to dreamworld. The welcomed sleep came as a restful moment for them – and mostly Oliver.

They knew that if this night had been calm, it didn't mean the other would be the same as well. Like they say: It's always calm before the storm. They prepared themselves for the coming days which they knew were going to be hard on them, Zod wasn't going to take pity any on them.

It is with those thoughts that the humans were woken up by the first piercing scream of the day. Startled at first, prepared to protect themselves or fight as a reflex, they quickly realized that the scream wasn't coming from their place.

AC rose first, helping his comrades stand up, pulling them off the hay they were using as mattress.

"Everybody all right?" He asked the question they all knew they were going to be heard very often.

"I'm okay" responded Victor as he stood up, pulling the dirt off of him.

"We all managed to sleep for a few hours, that's it." Bruce enchained.

"A few more hours weren't going to hurt!" Bart whined as he yawned and stretched.

"Lazy-boy!" Hal joked as he smacked his head.

"Hey!"

"Come on guys!" Dinah grunted in mild annoyance. "Not already in the morning!"

The others rolled their eyes at the scene before them. If they weren't locked up in this cells, they could have laughed. Despite their situation, it had the appearance of a familial moment. Perhaps, they needed moments like that to compensate with the violence of the world they were in.

"Yeah, still the night was cold." Tess went on. "I swear it was no more than a few fifty degrees in there."

"Days are hot and nights are cold." Oliver walked in.

"Hey Ollie!" Bruce approached him and took his hand in a brother gesture before hugging him.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

Oliver smiled, he had lost the habit to have someone who cared for him.

"I'm good." He assured him. "Trust me, I'm confronted to this kind of wounds when I go off patrolling at night."

"You sure?" Chloe asked shyly.

Oliver turned his head toward her and gave her a soft look. "I'm okay" He grinned as he noticed Bruce smirking at the situation. He raised an eyebrow at him as a silent question.

As an answer, Bruce lifted his hands in surrender, his smirk becoming a grin.

"Sleep well?" Condo demanded as he made his way downstairs to them, followed by his fellow alien inmates who were sleeping on the first floor of their cell.

"Not much." Victor admitted.

"You'll get used to it. Nights are pretty still, here." Another alien added.

"Yeah but I thought I was going to freeze to the death!" Bart complained.

"Temperature is highly variating from day to night, it is because of Sedna's composition." Condo explained.

"Yeah well, enough with night temperatures, you all chilly guys there!" Hal teased his friends.

"Hey! We're not all coming from the army there, tough-guy!" Tess entered the banter and the ex-pilot winked at her.

"Apart from that, Do we have food here or are they gonna let us die of hunger?" Oliver changed subject as he patted his stomach. "I'm starving."

"The guards drop by some basins with food right before the sun rise." An alien told them. "But I warn you, It doesn't taste good."

"And it looks like vomit!" Bart repined as he brought a basin full of a white liquid with morsels floating on the surface.

Everyone stared at the offending basin in disgust and they sighed. It was another reminder that their past lives were definitely over.

* * *

After eating 'breakfast', or what they could have swallowed of it, they shared some chat with their alien peers about the way they lived on Sedna, about how to survive in this hostile world and the habits of Zod and the kryptonians on the prisoners. After an hour of talk, Condo proposed the humans to do some physical fitness. He assured them they would need it all if they wanted to survive in the arena. The aliens inmates, who had been there for several years already were good fighters and survived the combats they had to do, they all had to kill their opponent, it was painful memories to them.

That's how they all found themselves doing some push-ups, pull-ups, crunches or sparing matches.

The rest of the morning wasn't much more eventful, No kryptonian came to send them to the arena, there weren't even the guards who usually came to check on them. The humans were getting suspicious. This supposed "living hell" was way too calm for it to be real. Something was going to happen, they were sure of that.

Time passed by till noon announced the collective lunch. The humans and their alien friends were sent to one of the communal cafeterias where all prisoners of Sedna shared lunch, or still, something that looked like lunch.

As they entered the room, the noise of the cafeteria dissipated and every head turned towards the humans and especially, towards Oliver. Inmates looked like they were admiring him, judging by the gleam in their eyes while the guards had their jaws clenched and eyes narrowed with hate.

The group stayed still in the entrance, not understanding what was happening. Each one of them looking in wonder the people seated in the tables. They hadn't realized that they'd stayed here for several long seconds until the guards behind them lost their patience and pushed them forward.

"Advance!" One of them shouted as they forced the group towards the line of prisoners waiting for their meals.

The intensity of all the gazes on them in the room was very unsettling.

"What's going on?" Chloe whispered discretely to Condo who was standing right behind her in the line.

"I don't know."

His answer didn't reassure her at all. Something was up, at least they were all sure of that.

They all felt very uncomfortable as they were getting their food, one by one. Feeling all the looks on them, and the tense silence in the room were telling them to be very careful. Something bad could happen at any seconds in this kind of moments.

Eying nervously from one side to the other, they desperately tried to understand why the people here were acting that way.

The situation was getting worse as Oliver's turn approached. He could feel the gazes intensify on his back. His heart was pounding so fast he could almost hear it. Sweat was dropping from his forehead. His body had never been so alerted, he was ready for the worst to happen right now. Trying vainly to focus on his tray, he realized with a few seconds late that it was his turn. He saw his friends move to an empty table and as he turned round slightly to see them better, he noticed the gazes were still on him. And only on him. He turned back toward the man who was serving meals in an attempt to avoid the faces of the prisoners and some of the guards.

One of them moved towards him quickly, and stepped inside Oliver's personal space, staring at him. The young human tried his best to focus on the guard instead of the crowd who was peeking at him. The situation was frozen for a few seconds before the kryptonian decided to speak.

"Tend him your tray and sit at a table before I lose patience, pretty boy." He urged him with clenched teeth, not leaving his eyes for a second.

Oliver did as he was told. He tended his tray to the guy who quickly ladled a bowl of flab mash. The food hit the tray with a disgusting plop as Oliver was eying it suspiciously before turning round to sit with his newfound friends.

The guard was still right in front of him and was now standing there with barely restrained anger.

The blond human didn't have time to make one step that his tray was knocked down on the floor. It fell with a loud slam, spilling the mash all over the ground. Oliver froze and looked up from the floor to the guard with an irritated look.

The soldier was now smirking with satisfaction as the other guards were encircling the billionaire.

"I'm gonna make you pay your boldness, newbie!" He hissed, breaking another silence that had just settled as he knocked him down easily.

"Now clean it! Clean it with your tongue, you worthless weak creature!" The soldier shouted as Oliver felt the guy's boot on his back, pressing him down further.

The others weren't believing the scene that was playing before them, the kryptonians were treating their friend as if he were some animal, and no one were trying to help him, not even the prisoners who seemed to admire him just instants before. Fear and apprehension freezing them on their seats as they all watched powerlessly the human being humiliated in front of them.

"Come on! Lick it! Lick your food, you're born for this!" The soldier who appeared to be the chief of the guards was romping on Oliver who was struggling vainly. The Green Arrow would never do that in his entire life, Oliver was stubbornly refusing to do as he was told.

"Do it!" The foot on his back was pressing harder. "Do it!" the voice yelled.

Incapable of taking it anymore, Bruce leaped up from his chair and raced towards his friend.

Seeing the brunette human running toward the kryptonians, the others decided to follow him. They knew they were going into trouble but their mind were done, they weren't going to let their friend down.

"Do it, you piece of shit!" The guard was pressing harder and harder till Oliver began to feel the ground crushing his body hard. Pain was going through his bones, breathing became difficult as the pressure blocked the air from coming in his lungs. As he thought the guy was going to press his foot till it got into his body, he felt the pressure dissipate as a loud thud was heard.

"Leave him alone!" Bruce screamed at the soldier who was now looking at him in utter surprise as well as his subordinates. He had been tossed on the ground by the human. Anger bubbled again inside of him as he remembered no one else ever attempted to do that to him. Humans were clearly a race of rebels.

Super-speeding toward his new opponent, the soldier knocked Bruce on the ground and began to punch him frenetically. Fortunately, he wasn't using his super-strength even if he looked like he wasn't even able to control himself.

Their friends, came over the group and began to attack the kryptonians. Jumping on them, punching, kicking vainly as their blows only came in contact with rock-like skin.

Yells ans shouts filled the room as the humans helped by Condo's friends attacked the kryptonians. Finally, the entire room was rushing towards the offending aliens the small fight becoming a general combat, producing an infernal din.

The kryptonians, overpowered by the number of opponents, began to weaken. They might be made of steel by they still needed to breathe, and to see.

Long several minutes of fight passed by, as the kyrptonians were about to lose, another group of them came by, backing them up. In a matter of seconds, the situation was back under control.

The prisoners were forced into a kneeling position, the humans on the first line.

The chief who had tried to force Oliver was now red with rage as he rushed again towards the blond human. He left his fist in the air before, quickly, leading it down towards Oliver's body.

"That's enough, Coats!" A voice yelled behind them.

Coats' fist stopped a few centimeters away from Oliver's jaw. Their heads turned toward a figure, standing in the doorway.

It was a woman. Her body was still partially shadowed but everyone -apart the humans- knew who she was. Her voice caused their blood to froze, some bodies started to tremble.

"Alia." A whisper revealed the name of the so dreaded woman who was stepping over to where Oliver and Coats were.

"You wouldn't want to mess up his pretty face now, would you?" Her cold tone filled the room without even having to raise the volume.

Oliver saw Coats gulp nervously as he rose to face her. Apparently, she was as dreaded as Zod himself in this prison. The man was suddenly silent, he walked a few steps back, giving Alia the occasion to lower herself close to Oliver and Bruce. Taking the blond's face his her hand as if to study him, she spoke up.

"I want them healthy for tomorrow." She was watching him in the eyes but her tone stated that she was addressing Coats. "It'll be fun, playboy." She whispered to him and rose as she spoke to his friends.

"There will be a place for you too."

"You know Zod doesn't approve your methods" Coats tried to impose himself. "And-"

"And that's why he will never know." She cut him off, still staring at the human. "And if he does, you know what will happen to you, right Coats?" She threatened her colleague.

As he didn't respond, she turned to him, he rapidly lost composure under her icy gaze. "Now go." She ordered to him in a whisper. Coats, in an attempt to stand up against his ruthless superior, didn't move.

Seeing no reaction from his side, Alia entered in his personal space. Their face were a few inches away from each other's, the two staring dangerously at the other.

"I gave you an order Coats. Don't force me to repeat it." She whispered in a venomous tone.

Slowly walking back while maintaining her gaze, Coats left the room, accompanied by his soldiers. Leaving Alia smirking at her victory.

Turning back to the humans, she watched them slowly, savoring the sight of them all knelt before her like they did before Zod.

"I'll see you tomorrow, humans." She told them and left. Ordering her guards to bring the prisoners back to their cells.

* * *

The walk way back to the cell was silent. They didn't even have time to eat, the fight had caused them to being brought back directly to their cell. Bart was starving, his stomach emitting hungry noises, he felt himself starting to weaken. His super-metabolism obliging him to eat at least five times more a day than a normal human.

Once they were back inside their cage, Bruce, who had been the most beaten one, was cleaning his wounds with the help of Dinah. Fortunately, Coats caused more pain than damage to him, the guy sure knew how to make his victim suffer without really injuring him. It probably was another advantage of their developed knowledge.

While the billionaire was getting nursed, the others who were only suffering from minor wounds engaged discussion with Condo and the other aliens. Questions began to well up between the humans and their alien mates.

"Who is she guys? Her name's Alia right?" AC demanded.

Condo and his friends shared knowing glances and looked back to the humans, grim expressions on their faces.

"She.." Condo started, not knowing how to explain them. He cleared his throat and went on. "She's one of Zod's most trusted soldiers. In fact, he even consider her almost as his daughter." He explained.

"From what we know," another alien continued. "Zod has raised her since her birth. He taught her to be emotionless since the very beginning of her life. Alia is far worse than Kal himself, she's the most cruel of Zod's guys." He paused. "She only loves one thing, blood."

His last words sent shivers through the humans. If this Alia was after them, that wasn't good at all.

"But what does she wants from us? Why us and not someone else?" Bart asked, worried for himself and for his friends.

"You're not the only ones she's been after." Condo stood up and raised his shirt. "You see this?" He pointed a deep scar on his chest. "She did this to me. A heated up iron bar, plunged inside my chest. Only a few inches away from my heart." He added to the horror of his fellow humans. "She almost killed me. I don't even know how I survived this."

"But, bu- Why did she do this?" Chloe almost choked on her question at the terror of Condo's revelations.

"Because she enjoys hearing her victim scream." He responded sternly, his tone not betraying the flow of emotions he was feeling at the memory.

"I'm sorry man." Victor felt sorry for him.

"I'm okay now." Condo looked at the floor. "But you aren't. You gotta prepare yourselves for what's coming because even Zod wouldn't do this to you."

"Which leads us again to this: Why is she after us?" Hal asked again.

"Well, while we were in the lunch room, I had freedom to talk to some companions back there." Another alien spoke up. "Rumors about Oliver are spreading through the entire city."

"What is it about?" The blond billionaire asked, not liking at all the news.

"Apparently when you first arrived on Sedna, you spat on Zod." He stated, causing Oliver's eyes to widen as he remembered his action. "No one else had the guts to do this and they're gonna make you pay for this."

The room felt silent as some cursing came into the air.

"So this is why Coats and his guys have beaten me, right?"

The alien nodded.

"Man, you're in deep, deep trouble." Bruce exclaimed as he finished cleaning the injury on his neck.

"He's not the only one." Condo intervened, earning all the looks back on him. "To them, if one human can do that then you all can do the same. Kryptonians only love themselves so when someone from another race do something, then they think his entire race is exactly like him. That's judging an entire people by the action of a few."

"On earth it's called racism." Chloe argued. "In most cases there are only insults thrown towards the targeted people but here, it seems like it's far beyond that."

"Yeah and tomorrow we're gonna pay the price." Tess put into words what everyone was thinking.

The grim faces of the aliens seemed to rub onto the humans.

"I'm sorry." Condo sent a pitiful look toward them and left upstairs, leaving the room awkwardly frozen.

Minutes of silence passed by. Everyone knew what the other was thinking about but no one knew how to bring up the subject or even wanted to.

Clearing her throat nervously, Dinah spoke up. "Guys, I think we should... huh,.. I think we should clean our cuts before it gets infected." She finished quickly, dying to change the topic. Fortunately, the others nodded and Bart brought another vase of water to clean the wounds they had gotten from the huge fight an hour earlier. They busied themselves in the task, trying to forget what was coming for the next day.

"You okay there Ollie?" Chloe whispered worriedly, earning a little grin from him.

"Yeah I'm good, just a few bruises, nothin' serious." He reassured her. "You on the other hand, you need some care." He pointed at the cut on her bottom lip.

Soaking a cloth in the water, he brought it to her lips and began to clean it carefully.

"Shh" he calmed her as she began to hiss softly at the pain on her lip.

"Yeah, good." he finished his task. "You're good now." He smiled at her affectionately.

His body beginning to heat up seriously in answer to her closeness and she must be feeling the same since Oliver noticed she was breathing heavily and stared intensely into his eyes. For a few seconds, the worries, the screams, the other people in the room and this prison just disappeared. It was only the two of them. Body close to the other's, hearts beating rapidly, faces slowly closing the gap between them. As their lips began to part slightly, ready for the other, the sound of a throat being cleared loudly brought them back to reality. Blinking several times, Chloe quickly separated herself from his embrace and looked down as she realized they were about to make out in front of their friends.

Oliver from his side, scanned his friends and remarked Bart and Bruce smirking at him and sharing an almost amused look. He guess their smirks would be more pronounced if they weren't being threatened by an alien psychopath. Glaring at them for ruining the moment he stood up and tried to get Chloe's gaze back on him but, as the previous day, she avoided eye contact with him.

Knowing it was a lost cause for the moment, he walked away to take a peek outside. Once again, the deep red sun was shining proudly in the sky. He sighed as he thought about his home's yellow sun which he was dying to see rising in the horizon. He didn't realized it before being sent on this planet but Earth's sun was extremely beautiful.

"Mind if I join you, bro?" Bruce brought him out of his thoughts. Turning round to see him approach, he smiled sadly to him. "What were you thinking about?"

"About home buddy, I was thinking about home." He confessed. "You know," Oliver began. "You don't realize how great your life is when you're living it but, once when got forced out of it, you see the beauty of the things you took for granted. I'm talking about simple things like friends," He put a hand on Bruce's shoulder and grinned at him. "a smile," he looked over to Chloe who was still blushing deeply. "or even a simple sun." He looked back to the sky, drawing Bruce's gaze with his. "You know, every time I look at this red sun, I can't help but think how much more beautiful our yellow one is. I miss Earth you know, that's just my home." He finished sadly.

"That's our home to us all Ollie." the brown-haired man replied. "We would give anything to be back on Earth."

"I don't know if we will actually one day come back home bro, but I know I will never give up." Oliver assured him.

"We won't. We're in this together remember?" Bruce grinned at him.

"You're right, if we run away, we leave no one behind. We ain't made that way."

"No, sure Green Arrow isn't made that way." Bruce smirked causing Oliver to chuckle.

"Sorry for not telling you bro." He apologized.

"Not it's okay, I understand and honestly I admire you buddy. I personally wouldn't be able to pull off leather and be a super-hero like you." the other man spoke.

"Maybe you only lacked of motivation." Oliver smiled at him.

"Yeah you're probably right buddy." he laughed lightly. "And something tells me that your dreams of escape aren't motivated by your only survival instinct, right?" he smirked at his 'brother'.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Oliver looked down with a little smile on his lips.

"Oh I'm sure you do Ollie!" A little laugh escaped his lips. "So the little blonde reporter huh?"

Oliver shook his head frantically. "Oh you can deny it as much as you want, I can see there's something between you two. In fact I'm sure everyone know that." He joked, enjoying his friend's discomfort. "That's funny you know, I thought a playboy like you would rather go for the leggy-big-breast type-" He was stopped as Oliver smacked his head, trying to silent him.

"Hey I'm joking!" He laughed as he patted the back of his skull. "She's cute actually."

Oliver exhaled deeply as his gaze went back on Chloe. "I don't know.. Every time I'm close to her, I can't control myself, you know."

"Well you might want to get going faster because I think your little protégé has a thing for your tiny blonde." He smirked as Oliver's eyes went wide.

"Bart?" Bruce nodded. "You're kidding me right?" His face turned serious as his friend shook his head.

"Don't waste any time Ollie, even if Bart isn't really into her, we still could all die tomorrow." He spoke sadly. "Don't waste any time." He repeated as he left.

Oliver stayed alone at his spot as Bruce's words sank in. He was right, they didn't know what fate had in store for them. Maybe tomorrow would be their last day? Sighing deeply he sat up and decided to take a little nap. Perhaps it would help him clear his thoughts. In this fucking world, with those fucking bastard of so-called "Kryptonians" and this goddamn red sun, nothing was safe. The only he was sure of was that tomorrow, they were going to suffer like hell. This is with those dark thoughts in mind and under the incessant cries coming from the other cells that his eyes closed.

 


	5. Preparation

" _Ollie!"_

_What's going on?_

" _Ollie, help me!"_

_The voice came from all the sides; he didn't know where to run to. A strange constant humming was heard. Oliver found himself, standing in the middle of a no man's land on what he thought was Sedna. After all, where else could he be? The soil had still the reddish color of Zod's planet so he could only be on the Big Red… or Mars. After all, it wouldn't surprise him anymore if someone appeared right before him and declared he was on Saturn._

" _Help!"_

_The voice filled his ears once again, causing him to look around in alarm, trying to see if there was anybody. From what he was seeing, he could tell he was alone. It was like a giant desert with no one else than himself and emptiness in sight._

" _Ollie!"_

_The voice was definitely feminine and he knew it, he was sure he had already heard it before. A new sound was heard, changing the routine of the cries of help that had broken the silence several times already. It was a laugh, but not a normal one, no. It sounded more like a cruel one, the kind of laugh a psychopath produces when he plays with his victims. A twisted sound which turned your blood cold and made your insides tighten. At this moment, Oliver knew that the woman who was calling for him was in real danger._

" _Help me! Please Ollie!"_

_A blonde woman appeared several meters ahead of him, running in his direction. She looked stressed and exhausted, but still beautiful. Why couldn't he remember her name? He knew her, he was sure of that!_

_Without another thought, he rushed towards her. In a few seconds she was in his arms._

" _She's coming! Please help me!"_

" _Shh, I'm here, don't worry I'll protect you."_

_His words seemed to sooth her as she tried to chill out and rest a little in the safety of his embrace. Tears were still dropping down from her eyes as she locked sight with him._

" _She killed them all, she-" Her sentence ended abruptly as she tried to control another wave of emotions.. "They're all dead, Ollie. Tess, Hal, Dinah, Bart, even Bruce, all of them!"_

_His eyes widened as his brains realized what was happening. He was feeling a headache coming as he focused so hard on her, trying to remember her name. Damn it! Why was it so hard to remember? And what was going on out there? Where were all the cells, the prisoners, and the kryptonians?_

_He was holding her while she cried. Letting her wash her fears as tears were escaping her hazel green eyes. Seconds passed by as the woman in his arms began to calm down, her sobs turned to quiet snifflings and he felt her body began to relax under the securing words he had been whispering to her all along._

" _It's all right, you're safe now."_

_Oddly, his words seemed to have the opposite effect as he heard a gasp escaping her lips and felt her wiggle against him, trying to get free from his arms._

" _Let me go, let me go, she's coming!"_

_Her yells sounded more and more alarmed by each second. He didn't have another thought about it and set her free. She was looking right behind him, fear evident in her eyes._

_He turned round and sighted a brunette woman far from them but still, walking to their direction with determination._

" _Ollie! We gotta go, now!"_

_She took his hand and led him to the opposite way, to flee from the imminent threat. Unfortunately, it was already too late. All of a sudden, the woman appeared right before them, blocking their path. They didn't have time to react that she already had her sword in her hands._

_The next thing he knew, Oliver saw the weapon plunging deep into the blonde woman's flesh. She fell to the ground, her hands on her stomach, trying to stop the wound from bleeding, her lips open to release a silent cry of pain._

_Knees hitting soil first, Oliver had just had time to catch her before the rest of her body hit the dusty ground. She was staring at him, her eyes wide with panic. He could already see that she was leaving. Her lips which looked so pink, so drawing seconds before were now becoming blue as blood began to leave them, her milky skin was becoming even paler, her hair full of the reddish dust that was scattering the ground. And life was slowly leaving her eyes. Those beautiful deep green eyes looked less and less animated. He knew those eyes, it was the set of eyes that seemed to be able to make his heart skip a beat whenever they were staring at him with this special gleam inside of them._

_He gritted his teeth in pain and closed his eyes as another headache came to him, he tried to recompose her face in his brain, trying desperately to find her name. He was feeling her shudder in his arms as he tried so hard to find her name back._

_Those eyes, this blonde hair which seemed to catch the light so easily and make her look like an angel. This beautiful face reflecting innocence, he knew all of that. He knew her. She was.. She was…._

_Chloe!_

_His eyes snapped open as he finally found her name. It was Chloe right there, right between his arms, bleeding to death._

" _Chloe! Stay with me Chloe, please!"_

_It was already too late, the inevitable was only seconds away now and there was nothing he could do to save her. He could see she was fighting for life but it was a lost cause. The pool of blood beneath them was proof of that. She had already lost too much blood. Her eyelids were heavy as she tried to keep her eyes open. Her hands had now left her wound and were gripping his forearms. He could see her using her last strengths to lift herself a little, leaning into him and try to murmur something to him. She was trying to talk to him but it was useless, she couldn't find her voice again. Life leaving her, she closed her eyes and let her last breath come out. Her body fell back lifeless in his arms._

" _Chloe! No!"_

_He could feel his hot tears escaping his eyes as he hugged her body and let his emotions speak for himself. As his sobs were rocking her now dead form, he could feel anger and hate bubbling inside of him. He clenched his jaw and stood up quickly to see Chloe's killer before him, a smirk on her face._

" _Look at that! The mighty Green Arrow getting all emotional about his bitch's death! I was sure it would be fun."_

_Her words triggered something inside of him, she had killed his friends, his brother, and Chloe. All she had to say was that it was fun? He remembered now, it was Alia the heartless murderer from the cafeteria._

" _Die!" he yelled at her as he rushed towards her, launching all his body's strength in her direction. Hoping to crush her to the ground and beat her to the death. After all, that was what she deserved._

_Instead of that, he felt the metal of her sword cutting deep in his own flesh, making him fall half dead on his knees._

" _You first." Were the last words she said before her sword hit him again, killing him._

* * *

"Chloe!" He shouted as he opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings rapidly.

He was back in the cells.

It was a nightmare. He had been dreaming, nothing more. Yet it couldn't stop his heart from pounding so hard it could jump out of his chest at any second. He needed to make sure it was just a dream. Where were his friends? He had to see if they were okay. His fears were pushed back as a small hand was placed slightly on his neck, making him jump with surprise.

"Oliver?" Her soft voice was just a whisper.

He turned his head slightly and saw her. He released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. She was here, she was all right, and she was now staring at him once again with those big green eyes filled with concern, shinning with life. Chloe was alive.

Without thinking about it, he hugged her. As tightly as he could, hoping she would never leave him. He sensed her surprise as he wrapped his arms around her small frame, but she didn't fight. In fact, she seemed to relax slightly in their embrace.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered in her ear.

"It was a nightmare, Ollie, nothing more, don't worry." She reassured him.

Several deep breaths were necessary for him to come back to a normal heart-beat state. He couldn't help but realize how well it felt to hold her, and how she had the ability to make him feel better just by being here. Seeing her die had hurt him more than he would admit to himself, thank god it was just a dream but what if it happened for real? What if his dream had been somewhat a premonition of what was to come? He couldn't let that happen. He would protect her, her and their friends. All of them, no matter what.

"Thank you." Oliver said as he broke the hug.

Knowing how the situation could turn because of his closeness to her, Chloe walked a few steps back and smiled brightly at him. "You want to talk about it?" she inquired softly.

"No, I'm all right now." He immediately shook his head. "It was just a dream." He offered her a weak smile.

She nodded, showing him that she accepted his choice but still feeling a little hurt that he didn't want to confess in her.

"I'll be here if you want to talk about it" She told him before gently kissing his cheek and leaving him alone. He needed some time to himself to think.

Oliver watched her leave, his fingers on the place where her lips kissed his skin. It only had strengthened his resolve. Nothing was going to happen to her, he promised to himself. Then again, his thoughts turned to his dream. He had been dreaming that Chloe was in danger, the woman… Well who was she to him? An acquaintance? A friend? Was it really friendship between them? Oliver was sure there was something more between him and the blonde reporter but what was it? Was it physical attraction? Lust? Love? Well he would surprise himself if he was falling in love so quickly with a woman he barely knew. He had never really been in love before, he had had lots of women he shared his bed with but it wasn't love, it was purely physical.

Love wasn't something he was used to. The death of his parents didn't help him onto that, it only caused him to protect his heart from being hurt so badly again. He never let any strangers come too close to him because becoming attached to someone would only end up hurting him further than he already was. His usual confident personality was just an image he put on to prevent people from truly seeing him, him and his shattered heart.

Yet, he felt like he should be with Chloe. It was an odd feeling and it was the first time he was experiencing that. Something inside of him told him he could trust Chloe with his life, that she would do anything for him like he would for her. It was like he was told that she was who he was destined to be with, that she was the only one worth to share his life. And it was what he was feeling at the moment.

That wasn't a usual feeling, it was much stronger. When they first arrived here, he told his friends that if Zod hadn't kidnapped them, they would probably have met sometime later. What if Zod came back in time? A time where he and Chloe were together and where he knew all of the people that where in this cell with him. Would it be possible?

He chuckled as he realized how twisted his thoughts were. That sounded so unrealistic and crazy. This little blonde was driving him crazy. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was lust, or even love, maybe all of that! Why not? He didn't know, he wasn't sure of anything about his feelings towards Chloe right now. But at least he knew that there was something between them that he was willing to discover.

His musings were broken as he heard a far laugh from outside the cell. That laugh… His blood turned cold as he recognized that laugh. It was the same that he heard in his dream, the psychopathic one. The laugh Alia was producing when she was chasing Chloe in his dream and the same one that he heard when she killed Chloe and himself. Suddenly, he didn't know if he was awake or not anymore. Was it possible that he was still dreaming? Or was the dream happening now? Right now?

That laugh, again. It filled his ears with a dreading overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. Was he hallucinating? He was sure he had just seen her figure, right before him. And then in the blink of an eye, she was gone. What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, and a whisper being said in his ear.

_I will break you!_

He quickly turned round and found nothing. No one was behind him. He was definitely hallucinating, wasn't he?

_I will break you!_

Again, again that cold voice whispered him the same words.

"No, you won't, you won't!" He shouted to the probably imaginative presence. Was he actually turning insane?

"Don't be so sure of yourself, pretty boy." Alia appeared right before him. "I've had tougher guys crying like newborns. Do you think you're stronger than them?"

He was not hallucinating after all. Alia was actually standing in front of him, she had been playing with him, and he was thinking he was crazy.

"You don't have the right to do that! What if Zod learned about it?" He exclaimed.

"You're threatening me?" She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer. "I hope you're not. I'd rather not want to hurt that blonde bitch who seems so important to you." She smirked in satisfaction as his eyes widened. She was threatening to hurt Chloe, and he had just promised himself it would never happen!

Seeing that she had hit her goal, Alia supersped away, leaving a dumbstruck Oliver who was now feeling even more anxious about the next day.

"You feeling good?" Victor came in right after Alia's departure. He apparently didn't have a clue of what had just happened.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Oliver lied easily. "I was just thinking about what Alia has in store for us."

"Well don't." Victor cut him as he approached him. "Trust me I've been living several months when I always had to look behind my shoulder to check if I wasn't being followed, remember?" Oliver nodded slightly, not sure what he was trying to tell him.

"What I say is that letting fear lead your actions will only cause you to be even more scared. And you can't live your life when you're being paranoid." The Afro-American argued.

"Well that counts when you're free and when no one promised he would cut you in pieces the next day." Oliver exclaimed a little too loud as his emotions took over. "So you tell me you're ready to live your life without a care in the world even if you know a psychopath is going to play with you tomorrow?"

"Well yeah!" Victor's stubbornness forced Oliver to control himself as he was feeling anger building inside. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm himself.

"Look, I know you've suffered a lot on Earth, dude." He sighed. "And that for you being here or back there doesn't change anything." He could see Victor's attempt to hide his emotions as Oliver was recalling him his hurtful past life. "Listen, if I had found you back then, on Earth, I would have helped you, I would have taken you with me-"

"I don't need your pity!" Victor shouted.

"That's not what I mean!" Oliver corrected quickly. "You have abilities. Maybe you don't see it but you have a lot of potential, Victor." He tried to calm his friend. "Whether you like it or not, you're my friend now. Everyone in this cell are my friends, you are all people I care about. If I want to be honest with myself, I would say the people in this cell are my only friends. I know it sounds lame but, despite my power and my fortune on Earth, I was alone." He shared a part of his life with the cyborg, knowing he would understand him. "You see, we're not that different. We both had no one back then, and we both have found friends here. Friends we would protect at all cost."

Victor just realized how close his and Oliver's life were, even if the former playboy had been partying in high-end receptions with lots of people and mostly, women, he still had been alone, like him.

"Tell me Victor," Oliver enchained, seeing he was getting him on the right track. "Wouldn't you do anything to protect them?" He glanced towards the group of human on the other room. "Wouldn't you want to use your abilities to help people who need and deserve your help?"

As Oliver saw Victor struggle with himself and hesitate, he launched his last card on the table. "Wouldn't you want to use your abilities to bring to justice the people who experimented on you? To bring down those who break the law like Zod here?" He kept trying to get to him. "I want to do it with you, with all of my friends, do you hear me? You are my friend."

A flash of hope appeared in Victor's eyes at his words which caused him to smile.

"I would give anything to do that."

His answer elevated Oliver's hopes. They grinned deeply as they shook hands firmly to lock their deal. "Thank you, buddy." Oliver expressed.

"I should be the one thanking you here. You have just opened my eyes."

"Didn't know playboys were that good talkers." A light tone stated from behind them. They both turned round to see Hal stepping towards them with a light smirk playing on his lips.

He raised his eyebrows as Oliver glared at him. "Just kidding!" Hal chuckled as he patted the blond's back in a friendly gesture. Hal and Oliver had only spoken directly to each other twice since their arrival but it didn't stop the ex-soldier to feel very comfortable with the billionaire. He was the kind of guy who would never refuse to crack a joke when he see an opportunity and Oliver could only welcome him as it lightened the very dark moon.

"I hope you were." Oliver challenged with a smirk of his own.

"Oh you wanna play that way? Okay so, what do you say, one on one?" Hal replied playfully.

"Come on you wouldn't stand a chance."

"I was a soldier don't forget that!" Hal laughed

"And I was the Green Arrow, remember?" Oliver smirked more deeply.

"Low blow man! I can't even compete!" Hal feigned being hurt.

Victor who had been looking very closely the exchange could only smile again as the two men before him were bantering like two children who were challenging each other. It felt good to smile, to have friends. But to him, they were now more than friends, they were… family.

"I'm betting on the green pants, on that one." Victor entered the discussion.

"Hey no fair!" Hal whined.

The three of them actually laughed for the first time since they put a foot on Sedna's soil. Oliver was definitely right, they were friends. As they fell from their laugh, they turned toward the others in the other room and fell silent. Chloe, Dinah and Tess were speaking together and smiling lightly, probably having a girl talk and, AC, Bruce and Bart were talking together, probably getting to know each other. Oliver remarked that Bart was often sending a look towards Chloe and he realized that Bruce was right, the speedster probably had a thing for her. Oliver his chest tighten at the realization and promised to himself he would show Bart that Chloe was off-limits to him.

"You were talking about protecting them before I came in, right?" Hal demanded.

"Yeah" Victor nodded.

"I know we don't know each other very well, Hal, but would you help us do that?" Oliver inquired.

"Of course buddy, they're my friends too. And like we say in army, 'Family takes care of itself'." Hal added causing Victor and Oliver to smile as another man decided to help them.

"I don't know how we will do it, but we'll have to fight for them, we'll go against Zod and his guys, you're ready to follow me on that?" Oliver decided to test their faith.

"I definitely am!" Hal exclaimed as Victor nodded in acceptance. "I would give my life for this fight if I had to." Hal declared seriously as he turned round and glanced at the redhead who was speaking with the other women of the room. "They are worth it."

 


	6. Tears, Blood and Fire

_Wait._

Just wait, only wait.

What else could they do? Sleep without a care in the world? An all new world for them that they already knew too much about and everyone here wanted to get back.

_Back home._

A home where you were free. A home were even if it wasn't entirely safe, there wasn't any egomaniac psychopath having them behind bars, just waiting to get sent into the deadly arena.

In comparison of this bloody world, Earth seemed like a paradise, beautiful, free… _unreachable_.

Earth was a planet they would never see again. They all had to accept that. But then, accepting the idea would mean that they accepted to die here, in a soil that wasn't even theirs, die like some worthless shit at Zod's feet. Was that what they wanted? No.

They were fighters; they would never die without putting up a fight.

A fight for life, freedom, and justice.

It was a noble path, fighting for the ones who couldn't. Choosing justice over criminality.

This was the path Chloe had chosen many years ago, and despite all the blood, the pain, the misery she had seen, she knew deep inside her heart that it was the right choice.

And this choice had almost cost her life several times in the past. Like the trouble-magnet she was, Chloe had already found herself in more than thirty-two life-threatening situation since High School. Most of them were because of her adventures with several people who had been infected by the meteor-rocks from the 1989's meteor-shower.

Monday, October 7th of 1989, She would remember this day all of her life.

Chloe was only two-year old back then but it was something life-marking. That day, she and her parents were crossing Smallville from Keystone City to Metropolis.

A month earlier, her father received a serious job offer in Metropolis after staying jobless for five months. Gabe and Moira jumped on the occasion and packed things to settle to Metropolis. That very day, they were crossing Smallville to get to Metropolis for the first time. It was exactly the moment the meteor-shower chose to fall on Earth. Meteors were falling from the sky, crashing everywhere, destroying everything. Chloe had seen people being buried alive by collapsing buildings, people getting hurt or crushed by a meteor, it was like hell on earth.

She and her parents had lots of luck to be found by a family of farmers who guided them in their cellar, in which they waited for the meteor shower to end.

These farmers had a daughter of Chloe's age, a redhead little girl. Chloe hadn't known her name back then and wouldn't have remembered it, she was too young. It was only several years later when she and her father went to settle in Smallville that she learnt this little girl was called Tess Mercer. At the moment of their second meeting, they instantly befriended, their parents reminding them of how they first met under the meteor-shower had made a bond between the two young girls and they became like sisters over the years. They did everything together; spending all of their time together like the inseparable sisters they had become. Tess had been through the same number of dangerous situations as Chloe but it only strengthened their friendship.

They always kept the other out of danger, fearing for their friend's safety more than their own. That was the way they were. But now, they both were in this, in Zod's world. And the word here was _kill or be killed_ as Zod said it so often. Safety was not a factor of the equation anymore.

And here at that very moment, they both were waiting anxiously for Alia to come and send them through whatever hell she had in store for them.

* * *

It was night already, everything was dark outside. The only light in the cell was coming from the poor and only lit candle in the middle of the room. The humans were seated in circle around it, refusing to sleep, fearing Alia would come in and kill them in the middle of their trip to dream world. In a way, that would bring them to deliverance, because they knew that if it didn't happen, their death would be slow and painful in the arena, under the eyes of Zod and his fellow men.

The cold from the night came in a few hours earlier due to the sun disappearance behind the big red. They were all close to each others, wrapped up in everything that could keep them warm.

Eyes glued on the candle, nothing was being said, the silence of the night mastering the atmosphere. Their alien friends tried to lighten a little their mood but failed miserably. So, they decided to leave them alone, knowing that they had to do it on their own.

They had stayed for hours like this, staying immobile, hoping that by the end of the night, Alia would have forgotten it all and leave them alone. But as time passed by, they realized they were only fooling themselves. Nothing was stopping Alia from doing whatever she wanted to do.

So, they stayed awake because they knew that if they closed their eyes, they probably would never open them again. They were just waiting for the inevitable to happen.

One hour passed by, they didn't even dare to move an inch, just keeping their gaze on the candle as if their lives depended on it.

Two hours, their eyelids became heavier and heavier and they had to fight to stay awake.

Three hours, the only thing keeping them from falling into Morpheus' arms was the shakes given by the others if one of them began to drift off to sleep.

One hour later and despite all of their efforts, they were all off to sleep. The only few days spent on Sedna had them exhausted both physically and mentally and they knew it was just the beginning.

Chloe had noticed that unlike the others, Oliver wasn't focusing his gaze on the candle. When he thought she wasn't noticing, he was looking at her and quickly, drawing his gaze back on the candle when she looked up. A few more times and they both locked gazes. It caused her heart to speed up, she knew she felt something for him but was that the place and the moment to think about it? She didn't think so. They stayed several minutes like that, loosing themselves in each other's gaze. She could see the worry in his brown eyes, along with genuine concern and something that looked like adoration, deep caring.

She quickly drifted her gaze away at the realization but that didn't stop them from doing it again several times till Chloe first became to drift off. As her eyes closed, she noticed Oliver was still awake and staring at her but he was fighting not to sleep.

His face was the last thing she saw before exhaustion took over her, and she was lost into the depths of slumber.

* * *

Chloe was slowly getting out of her sleep, sensing drastic change of her corporal temperature. The atmosphere in the cell when she fell to sleep was warm enough for her because of her friend's body's temperatures and the blankets she had around her. But now, she felt cold and confined. Something was wrong.

First of all, it was her ears that warned her there was something not right about it. She was hearing a constant humming as if she was in a confined underground structure. The sound was only cut by the noise of some water dropping from a hardly closed tap and resonating as it hit the ground. There was something scary about hearing the water splash on the soil again and again.

She tried to roll on her left but was stopped as she hit something hard and cold, causing her to let out a surprised shriek. Her head hurt like hell now, she lifted her right hand at the bruised zone of her skull and opened her eyes.

She was staring face to face at a high, dark wall.

"What's going on?" a sleepy voice came on behind her.

She rolled back to see her friends stretching and yawning as they woke up from their short sleep.

"Chloe?" It was Tess. She was lying right before her, slowly getting up from the ground they had been sleeping on. The redhead's eyes left her friend's face in order to examine her surroundings.

"What the hell? Where are we?"

That was the moment Chloe realized at the same time as her friends that they weren't in their usual cell anymore. They were in a very small, dark room with no light but the one coming from under the only door. There weren't even windows; it was empty, dark, cold, and putrid judging by the critters that looked like rats. The only thing that cut the sterility of the walls was the tap from which the drops of water where coming.

There was only one explanation to this sudden change of room in their sleep. Realization hit their faces as they considered the only reason that could explain it all.

"Alia took us." Bruce voiced what no one was daring to admit.

"What makes you think that?" AC voiced his denial.

"For God sake man!" Bruce lost his temper for the first time he arrived on Sedna. "What's in this skull of yours? Jellyfish? How can you be so dumb?"

AC offended by the dark-haired human rose in a dangerous posture and walked close to him in a defiance gesture.

"How dare you treat me like I'm some dumb guy from the low ones huh?" He fired back, "Ah yeah true you're a billionaire…" he began to mock him. "To you guys like me are some shit just good enough to clean your shoes with their tongues, am I right?"

Quickly, Bruce grabbed him by the collar and they began to fight. Thankfully, the others were quick enough to stop them before any damage could be done.

"Guys stop! Stop! Now!" Tess yelled at them as Dinah, Hal and Victor were separating them.

"What's happening to you? Damn it!" Chloe shouted. "I know the circumstances are hard but you're both adults! Stop provoking yourselves like children fighting over some meal!"

The little blonde surprised them by her behavior. She might be only 5 feet and something tall but she could be scary when she wanted to.

"Behave like the grown-ups you're supposed to be!" She went on, keeping everyone silent. "In these times if we don't stick together, we die, alright?" Sensing she was getting no response from AC or Bruce, she insisted. "Guys! Alright?" She spoke in her authoritative tone, leaving no room for refusal and it worked as she got nods from both men. "Now, I don't know, take example on Oliver, he's a hero and I know you wanna be like him."

"Speaking of Oliver…" Dinah trailed off. "He's not here with us…" Her tone showed the seriousness of the situation as they realized that he wasn't with them. They'd been so caught up in their argument that they hadn't taken time to check if everyone was here.

"Neither is Bart!" Victor added them a worrying charge as now two of their friends were nowhere to be found. But they had an idea of where they surely were and if they were right, then Oliver and Bart were in serious trouble at the moment.

* * *

Blonde straight hair, green hazel eyes, delicate face, and a smile capable of making his heart skip a beat. That was the face of the woman that had been in his dreams since their first meeting, and currently, she was here.

_With him._

Giving him strength, to fight. Hope, that one day they would be out of this oh-so terrible world and back on Earth, together.

Her lips were moving as her eyes were still deep in his. She was talking to him.

" _Ollie_ ," Her soft voice was like music to his ears. " _Ollie_ ," She spoke a little bit louder. " _Ollie_ ," Strangely, her voice was sounding more bass, as if it was mutating.

 _Well it's still a dream_ , he thought to himself, _but it's still odd._

" _Ollie_!" This time it resonated hard in his head and it wasn't her voice anymore, it wasn't the same sensuality of her feminine voice, it was hoarse and grave.

" _Ollie_!" Her face had disappeared from his mind and it was clearly a man's voice in his ears as he felt himself waking up.

" _Hey! Ollie, help_!"

Male, young, familiar. He knew that voice. That voice was the one of someone he took under his wing more than a year ago, the one of a young guy with an amazing power, who's been wandering alone for years before finding him.

_Bart!_

Oliver's eyes shot open at the realization. He had to shake his head to clear the fog from his still sleepy brain. Once done, his vision was clear and he was able to see what was going on.

The first thing he noticed was Bart hanging from the ceiling by the wrists who was looking at him expectantly. The kid was brave; Oliver knew that Bart was trying to hide his fear from him, not wanting to disappoint his mentor and friend.

Not yet understanding the situation, Oliver's first thought was to want to untie him but, as he tried to move, he noticed that he too was chained up and hanging from the ceiling.

He stretched and agitated as much as he could to test the solidity of the bond but it was useless: Alia made sure they couldn't escape. The chain was firmly fixed to the roof and at the other hand of it; the hard and cool metal of a handcuff was circling their wrists, forcing their arms to stay to each side of them. They couldn't loosen the handcuffs, nor try to free one of their hands with the other one.

Oliver cursed as he understood that Alia took care of every detail, and she sure was not going to allow them any respite. He glanced up at Bart who was tied up several feet in front of him and already seemed in pain by the posture he was forced into.

"You okay Bart?" He wanted to make sure the young speedster was in good shape to face what he knew was coming from them.

"Well I don't feel my hands anymore, apart from that I'm okay" He winced as he tried once more to move his hands in the cuffs, trying to get into a more comfortable position. "Could be better.." He muttered.

Oliver himself could sense the first signals of pain in his arms and back, indication that he had been hanging there for several minutes already. How come he didn't realize that he had been moved during his sleep?

"Hang on, short-stuff, we'll find a way out of here and find the others, we always do." Oliver sent a weak smile to his protégé but both men knew it was a lie. They were going to be tortured by the most sadistic person ever, and it scared them to death.

"Where do you think the others are?" The youngest man voiced his concerns.

"I don't know, maybe in some other room, in the same predicament…" Oliver retorted, trying his best not to assume the worst. He tried one last time to break his bonds free but failed "Shit!" He cursed in frustration as he came to accept that the chain wasn't going to break.

Where were the others? That, he didn't know, he just hoped they were okay. And Chloe, god this bitch better had to stay away from her or he was going to kill her!

He was pitched out of his thoughts by the loud bang of the door on the wall as it was kicked open by none other than Alia. What surprised them most was the group of human thrown forward by her. They weren't going to be separated; they were going to face this dreaded torture together. At least, Alia had allowed them that.

"Guys!" Bart shouted to grab their attention.

They looked up at their two friends and noticed the situation they were in. They, themselves had their hands tied up tightly with the same kind of chain that linked Oliver and Bart to the ceiling.

"Oh God…" Tess gasped at the sight of them.

"Oliver!" Bruce worriedly grabbed his attention and silently asked if they were okay, to which the blonde man answered by a slight nod.

"Ollie!" It was her voice, the one he so desperately wanted to hear since he woke up. Her green eyes were still full of genuine concern for him but he washed her fears away as he gave her a tentative smile.

The last one to enter the room was their torturer. After having pushed everyone in, she secured the door and forced the group of humans to kneel, a few feet to side of where Bart and Oliver were.

Then, she locked their chains to some hooks on the ground and, pushed a few buttons on a console nearby. Once done, she turned to them, a twisted smile playing on her lips.

"So I see everyone's ready for today's session!" She addressed them; she was thrilled it was clear. "Shall we begin?" Alia asked them, knowing that even if they refused, she would still do it.

"So let me explain how it'll work!" She began with enthusiasm but behind all that, they all could sense the hidden rage and envy to hurt and destroy. She stepped in front of the knelt humans and stared them down in silence. In answer, they were shooting glares towards her in defiance, that was something that excited her even more.

Nothing was better than seeing arrogant people break before her and beg her to put an end to their pain. She was going to enjoy every minute of it, she knew that. And she couldn't wait to begin.

Since the humans arrived on Sedna, she had been studying them, seeking their strengths and their weaknesses. She was in the room when Zod first greeted them and she had seen Oliver spit at the General's face. So naturally, she chose him to be the first one to endure the ordeal. But she knew that torturing him physically was not enough. It wouldn't be enough to take away that confidence in him; his arrogance was only accentuating her hate towards him. The best torture of all was the one of the mind. That way, she would break Oliver Queen and make him cry like he never had in his life.

"You watch the show, and enjoy it." She spoke to the knelt humans. "It soon will be your turn!"

With that, she turned towards Oliver and Bart, her excitement increasing by seconds. Torturing Bart in front of Queen's eyes would be enough to break him. He was his little protégé and she was sure that he promised himself to never put him in danger. _Well_ he was going to regret it.

She first wanted to take Chloe instead of Bart, for some reason the billionaire seemed to care deeply about her and it would affect him beyond repair to see her got hurt and die before him. But that would be too easy so she took Bart instead, knowing it would be longer and the longer it lasted, the more she enjoyed it.

Turning to Oliver, she grabbed his chin forcefully and forced him to look at her instead of his friends.

"Getting impatient?" She stared in his eyes, accenting the dangerousness of the moment. "Don't worry; it's all about you this morning." She whispered all while keeping her icy eyes on him. "And I know you'll like that, pretty boy!"

She let his jaw go and moved to the table where some tools were exposed on. Her back turned to them, she took an over-exaggerated amount of time to prepare the torture, knowing their fears were rising by each second that passed by.

Bart was trying to keep calm but inside, his heart was beating so fast it could jump out of his chest. He too was tied to the ceiling and even if she hadn't talked to him, he knew Alia was planning something bad for him. He rose his gaze on his mentor who nodded lightly to him as if to say everything was going to be okay, his eyes were letting him know that he was with him in this and that reassured him a little. He glanced sideway and saw his friends looking at them, doing their best to support them silently. It relived him to know that they were not alone in this.

 _Keep it steady, boy!_ He told himself

"So, Bart!" Alia exclaimed so suddenly it made him jump, her back still turned to them. She was still working on her tools. "Do you know why I love using fire to play with my toys?" She asked him and he instinctively knew that he was going to get burned.

"I'm sure you wanna know." She turned towards him and moved a few steps forward, an iron bar in her hands. That reminded him of what Condo had told them about his torture _'A heated up iron bar, plunged inside my chest. Only a few inches away from my heart'_ he said. This infamous iron bar seemed to be her favorite tool and that made it very dangerous. The thoughts of what she could do to him with that made his whole body tremble in fear, he had to force himself to not think about it. If he wanted to survive he had to show no sign of fear.

"When I was only a few years old," Her voice brought him back to reality as she began her speech. "I came across a man who wanted to hurt me. So I ran away to hide but he found me and began to hurt me. When I couldn't take it anymore, I pushed him away from me and he fell in a barrel of fuel from Krypton. Seeing him soaked in the thing that could burn his entire body made me wanting to see it with my own eyes!" She continued her frightening story as they all knew the end of it wasn't pretty. "That's when I use my heat vision on him. And he starts to burn _alive_ before me!" The humans could see a glint of amusement in her eyes as she recalled these events.

She made circles around Bart, frightening him even more. Finally she stops and moved close behind him, her mouth brushing against his ear. "He screams, he screams like he never had in his life!" She half-whispered into his ear. "I see him struggle vainly against pain of fire. I smell his skin burn, I see it rip apart from his body he feels his blood turning into smoke and he screams even more, he cries, I know he cries but it's too hot for tears. He falls on the ground and I see his whole body becoming a torch, the flames entering his flesh, burning him to the core! And it smells good, it _feels_ good!"

Bart felt shivers go through his spine; he breathed hard but tried to hide it from her. The story she was telling them explained so much on her love for fire and how her mind became so twisted, they could blame Zod for being responsible of that, it was sure.

The humans could tell that their younger friend was about to find out how much she liked fire by any second. They could only pray some miracle to happen to made her stop. At that point, they could welcome anything to stop her. But what could happen? The only source of light in the room besides the poor light hanging from the ceiling was the basement window which proved they were underground. Besides, it was clear the day was still early, from the light coming from the window, they could tell it was only dawn. So everyone was still sleeping, probably even Zod, which meant no one was coming to rescue them.

Suddenly, Alia looked like she had changed her mind and moved towards Oliver, the iron bar still in her hands. She entered her personal space and stared at him hard.

"I'm sure Mr. Queen here is dying to know how it feels, aren't I?" She kept his defiant gaze a few seconds more and when she got no answer from him, she delivered her plans to him. "Too bad, you're only going to watch!" With that, she drove her fist in his guts, making the young hero double over in pain.

"No!" A shout came from the group of humans, followed by a ear-splitting cry of pain. They all turned round to find Bruce standing up, yelling in pain as electricity came through his body which was shaking from the shock. Finally, when the load was over, he fell to the ground, inanimate.

It came so fast that they didn't have time to realize what was happening. AC, seeing his friend in pain was about to stand up but was stopped in extremis by Hal who quickly understood the trick.

"No man!" He grabbed AC's arm and forcing him back down. "It's a trap! Don't get up!"

"That bitch over there linked us to a console which sends us a load of electricity if we get up." explained Chloe as she eyed the dangerous device.

"You sure are smart!" Alia intervened, earning all the gazes on her. "It's a great plan, isn't it? You'll have to fight the urge to stand up while your knees hurt and your friends get tortured."

"You're seriously deranged, psycho!" Dinah spat, only getting a laugh out of alia in answer as the latter focused back on Bart. She paused to study him for a few seconds.

The kid had never looked more afraid since she first saw him; sweat was dripping off his forehead, blood flowing from his wrist, caused by the hard metal of the handcuff that was cutting deep in his flesh. His eyes were wide with fear and his whole body trembling in apprehension. The sight of him made her go wild. She couldn't wait to break him and at the same time hurting Oliver mentally.

Her studying gaze finally locked into his and she tipped her head to the side before speaking, "You look nervous," She began, enjoyment recognizable is her voice. "Am I frightening you? Don't worry I'm sure what I'm about to do will make you feel better!"

Quickly, she tore Bart's shirt, leaving his chest unprotected to the coming attacks, and heated up the bar with her eyes. Approaching it slowly to him. Bart prepared himself for the blow and gathered his strengths. He was already feeling the heat from the iron bar, close to his skin, making his heart beat faster, almost uncontrollably.

"No! No! Wait! You can't do that!" Oliver, having recovered from the blow yelled, trying to reason her vainly. The only answer he got was a smirk from her right before she pressed the bar hard onto the kid's skin. Bart was screaming in pain as she moved the bar all over his chest, he winced, whimpered, cried and struggled frantically, trying to get away from her under the constant yells of the others who shouted her to stop. It was useless, they couldn't stop her.

"You like that uh? I'm sure you like that!" Alia shouted at him, "Beg me and maybe I'll spare your life!"

"Stop it you fucking bitch!"

"Ah, Mr. Queen! Does it hurt? To see that friend of yours crying his mom?" She added more pressure to the bar and Oliver could tell that Bart was close to fainting.

"You twisted bastard! I swear I'll kill you! I swear!" His body was trembling with rage, he was struggling desperately against his chains, and all he wanted to do was to lunge forward and strangle her to the death.

"You're just realizing how pathetic you are, aren't you?" She kept digging into his mind, all while moving to attack Bart's back. "I wonder if you can even look at yourself anymore, knowing you've recruited this weak kid and that now he's suffering like hell, I'm sure he wishes he never met you! Are you little boy? Are you regretting ever meeting this poor excuse of a living?" She spoke to Bart, nodding to Oliver's directing. Changing of tactic, she chose a clinical point on Bart's back and began to press the bar on it. Instantly, Bart's yell increase as well as his pain. She was pressing the bar at a point where pain was almost unbearable while it couldn't hurt seriously the victim.

But Bart could take no more and his cries stopped the moment he lost consciousness despite the infernal heated bar who was now entering his flesh.

"Bart!" Victor shouted as he forgot about the device and got up to get to him but was stopped by the jolts of electricity that ran through him and his robotic parts. Thanks to his robotic skeleton, pain was more bearable and he was able to kneel back without fainting but still panting heavily as he calmed his body.

A pregnant silent settled in the room as Alia removed the bar from Bart and dropped it on the table. She was unable to hide her contentment as she was seeing the pain on Oliver's face. He was looking for any sign of life on his friend's face while the others were too shocked to say anything, they simply knelt there, their eyes wide and jaw dropped.

She would kill all of Oliver's friends to make him a broken man, and then she would leave him to Zod who would finish him off in the arena. She would be there all the while, not missing a thing.

"Do you feel it?" She addressed Oliver. "That guilt, the feeling of knowing that all of your loved ones will die in pain just because of you? Nothing can stop their deaths, they will all die one by one before your eyes and there's nothing you can do to save them. What kind of hero is the Green Arrow if he can't even save the people he loves?" To Oliver, it was like Alia was planting a dagger inside him and wiggling it in the wound. He couldn't respond to her, his mind couldn't even register all that was happening; her words were just sinking into him like an anchor into the water.

"Well ready for the next step?" She asked, moving towards the other humans. "Who will you choose for the next show, Queen?" She stopped before Bruce and took his face in her hand, the latter was still unconscious but she was willing to harm him again. "Your oldest friend? The one who's the closest figure of a brother to you?"

"Leave him alone!" He grumbled, trying his best to control his shaking body, and the overcoming rage.

She moved towards Chloe and did the same thing as Bruce.

"Get your hands off me, you're fuckin-"She was silenced by a hard slap hitting across her face, forcing a shriek out of her.

"Damn it! I told you to leave them alone, or I'll-"Oliver shouted as she attacked the little blonde.

"Or what?" She cut him off. "You'll kill me? Seriously how can you even hurt me, you're just some weak creature in here!" She laughed at him but suddenly stopped and a concentrated look appeared on her face.

The humans were surprised by the sudden change in her behavior and were even more confused when her eyes went wide with what they could tell was the closest thing to fear she could feel.

Alia had just super-heard Zod descending the stairs and he didn't sound happy at all. The only thing that crossed her mind was: flee or face the wrath of Zod. She super-sped to the door but it was too late. Zod kicked it open and slapped her hard, sending her crashing against the wall at the other end of the room. He took sight of his surroundings and entered the torture cell, followed by Faora and several guards.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" He yelled at Alia, his voice let no room to disrespect.

Alia who had time to recover from the blow was now half-walking, half-dragging herself to Zod, for the first time since their torture began, the humans saw Alia at loss of words, her twisted smirk was now replaced by a fearful expression.

"I…uh-"She began weakly but was cut off by Faora who looked as mad at her as Zod was.

"We warned you not to torture the humans but you still disobeyed a direct order from Zod!" She voiced all her anger and rage at her, supporting her husband.

"How can you be this irresponsible?" The general stared her down.

"I.. I just wanted to ease your work, General. I thought that-"Alia was trembling in fear; it was surprising to see a woman whom nothing seemed to scare, tremble before Zod.

"You thought that what?" Zod shouted. "That giving me broken people would be easier in the arena? A broken man only seeks death! I want fighters who fight for their lives!"

"But!" Alia protested.

"No buts! I want you to get into the royal room and wait for me in there. I'll deal with you later."

She didn't need to be asked twice and quickly ran out of the room but not before sending a last look to the humans, clearly expressing what she couldn't voice out loud at the moment: _It's not over yet_.

Swallowing his anger, Zod instructed his soldiers to bring the humans back to their cells, and then approached them, the same hate in his eyes for them that he didn't even try to hide.

"I have to excuse myself for these unfortunate events that have been happening to you, really I'm sorry." He started sarcasm evident in his voice. "Alia is a loyal soldier, she would do anything to help me and sometimes it goes beyond my own will." He finished, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Watch your dogs better next time, bastard!" Hal grunted at him, not able to keep it for himself after what he had seen.

Zod, offended by his words stared him down but only met defiance in his eyes as for the first time he met Hal.

"Always such a big mouth Mr. Jordan, are we? Now don't tempt my bad side or you could end up in the arena next time." He threatened. "And next time is soon: I am planning on sending at least one of you to fight in a few hours. Hope you'll have time to prepare." He saluted them in a mocking gesture and left without even sending a glance at Bart's direction who was still unconscious.

The guards then used the moment to untie them and walk them back to their cell. On the way back, the human had only one thing in mind: Will Bart be able to make it?

Oliver who was carrying him was the most worried of them and felt nothing but guilt for what happened to his friend.

* * *

The humans weren't aware of the pair of eyes that was examining them. A tall raven-haired man was looking at them and more precisely at Oliver. Grinning at the obvious pain on the blond's face, he couldn't help but think that he had to thank Alia for having erased that confident look in the human's eyes.

"Kal? C'mon baby I'm getting lonely!" A woman's voice broke into the room, reminding him that he still had some time for fun before going to the training.

"I'm coming Vala."

 


	7. Consequences

"How is he?"

Those three words coming out of the petite blonde's mouth had never been as dreaded as in that moment. The answer to that question could announce them the worst but certainly not the best, it was too late for that. The pain had already been unleashed.

It scared Chloe so much to realize how much a simple word could change the knowledge between life and death. At that point, she could only hope that the young speedster could make it but what she saw wasn't helping her to quiet her worry.

Bart was lying on the table Oliver had put him on. He was still unconscious and seemed to show no reactions to the cares of Anzus, one of Condo's friends and the only one with serious medical formation in their cell.

"I've patched his wounds and taken care as best as I could of his internal injuries," replied the old alien after a moment of hesitation. "But I'm afraid it will not be enough. He needs a special treatment in a medical structure otherwise he is not going to make it – I'm sorry."

"Then we'd better not waste our time and find a hospital, now!" blurted out Hal, refusing all kind of rationality.

"It is not that easy."

All heads turned towards the voice, finding Condo standing in the entrance of the little room, arms crossed over his chest.

"Only Zod can provide this kind of places." continued the alien. "He won't let us in – you know that."

"We can't wait and look him die!"

"I'm not saying that AC!"

"He's right, AC." supported Dinah. "There is nothing we can do."

"I can't believe it!" shouted the Atlantean, standing up, ready to leave.

He was stopped by Chloe who gently pushed him back to his sitting position before turning to the doctor.

"Is there a chance he could still make it here?" asked the blonde, cutting the argument before it even started.

The old man seemed to consider the idea for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"His body endured lots of stress," explained Anzus checking again Bart's pulse. "His heart is still beating too fast and I'm afraid that if it continues that way, he…"

The doc trailed off, not wanting to pain his human friends again but they all knew what he meant. Bart's heart might stop if it didn't decrease the beats rate.

Chloe let out a sigh in response, expressing the helplessness she was feeling as she was watching the dying teenager in front of her. Turning around, she dared for the first time to let her eyes scan the room and what she saw did not help her to get rid of the sadness and pain in her heart. They were all feeling the same way about their young friend.

AC had a stoic expression on his face but she knew that inside, he was hurting. Since their arrival, he and Bart spent a lot of time together, they had the same sense of humor even if Bart's was more pronounced.

Seated at his left, was Bruce who had a hand put on AC's shoulder in a friendly gesture of support. Strangely enough, their discussion back when Alia took them had strengthened their burgeoning friendship and they now seemed to respect each other.

Gotham's prince as they called him back on Earth had had time to fully recover from the jolt of electricity he took in, only an hour and a half ago and now, his number one preoccupation was Bart's predicament.

Close behind them, was Victor sat on a piece of wood they used as a chair, his position clearly displaying his emotions. He was looking at the ground, his head hidden between both of his hands and Chloe knew instantly that he was fighting against it, he had already lost all of his family, he didn't want to lose anyone else close to him and Bart was part of that group. At least, Dinah was beside him, a soft hand on his back, as she offered him her silent support like the eternal hero she was despite the sadness marring her own face.

At the other end of the room were sat Hal on a modest bench, looking blankly at Bart's unanimated body, and Tess by his side, seeking his eyes with her owns. He was holding both of his hands together and seemed to war with himself probably about his inability to help the unconscious Flash. Chloe smiled a little as she remarked Tess putting her hand softly on his jeans clad thigh, stopping it from shaking because of the stress and putting him out of his thoughts as their eyes locked and they shared what looked like a silent discussion.

No matter how much Tess would deny it, Chloe knew she now wasn't the only one who had a thing for one of her cellmates. Seeing them made her think of Oliver and what she had been feeling for him since a bit of time already, it was still fuzzy and unclear how it happened but she couldn't deny the fact that she was falling for the tall and handsome billionaire of Star City, and falling _very_ hard apparently.

 _Oliver_. As her thoughts turned to him, she noticed he wasn't in the room with the others. Looking around to find him, she located the blond man isolated in a corner of the cell; he was sitting on the dusty ground, _alone_. Chloe remembered that he hadn't said a word since their exit from Alia's torture room but what concerned her most was the sinister expression on his face from which she could only assume the worse: he was blaming himself.

* * *

Behind Oliver's unmovable face and blank look, were hidden his dark thoughts. Bart could _die_. And if he died there, Oliver was sure the young man would die regretting teaming up with him but he couldn't blame him for that. Oliver himself was feeling guilty about what was happening to his protégé. His justice partner, his teammate, and the little brother he was supposed to protect about their enemies. It was his duty to protect him but he _failed_. He miserably failed and all he did was watch this sadistic psycho torture him; _break_ him in front of him. That wasn't what was supposed to happen, it was him who was destined to be tortured not Bart. It was him whom Alia wanted to hurt.

 _But she did hurt you. She did it through Bart, this is your fault! -_ His conscience whispered him from the back of his mind.

The words were harsh but they'd never been truer. Bart, the speedster was _just_ a collateral damage. He was the cause of his current situation, Bart was there fighting for his life because of _him_. And his friend wasn't the first one who'd been hurt since that _damned day_ he donned the green leather suit for the very first time. It had happened a lot in the past since he became the Green Arrow, several people died, killed by his enemies who wanted to lure him in. Those people died because of him, _again_ and it made him question himself about his alter-ego several times but Bart had been here all along supporting him during those dark times, remembering him the good he had done to his world and to him.

But now Oliver was skeptical. What if Bart had been wrong? To him it seemed that his 'heroic' persona had been the cause of so much pain and death that he was becoming disgusted at himself. His hopes of making a better world felt like infantile utopia now. He'd been irresponsible and careless. Maybe what was happening to Bart was a twisted way of fate to punish him for his past stupid actions. The day he decided to become the Emerald Archer of Star City should have never ever existed.

_It would have been better that way._

The feel of soft fingers stroking his cheek snapped him out of his dark minded thoughts. He had to blink several times before focusing his pupils on the woman before him. Chloe's been kneeling in front of him for God knows how long and he was so lost in his doubts that he hadn't even seen her.

"Welcome back." smiled Chloe as she saw life returning in his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"How's Bart?" asked Oliver, avoiding answering her question.

She dropped her eyes, a sad expression marring her face. Oliver instantly assumed the worse. He put a finger under her chin to make her look at him.

"Chloe?" whispered the billionaire in a voice thick of emotions.

"He's…. He's in coma." answered Chloe in a little voice. "Anzus does not seem to believe he can make it."

Oliver instantly stiffened. He had been right to assume the worse because it was exactly what was happening. He had already lost so much. His parents, first left him when he was only five and he had missed them beyond imagination. He had only a few memories of them that he kept safely locked in the depths of his mind where he could never forget them. Apart from that, all he remembered of his parents was them not being here for him, whenever he couldn't find sleep or when he hurt himself by accident, he imagined them being with him at that moment and then, sleep could find him and the pain wasn't there anymore. Till the moment they eventually vanished again and left him alone.

Every time he saw a kid padding excitedly towards his parents and jumping into his parent's arms, yelling he had an A in math or whatever subject he had, Oliver would wonder how he would have felt as a child if he had had the chance to live the same occasion. His father would have been so proud while his mom would have hugged him tightly, whispering him how happy she felt for her sweet little baby-boy. Each birthday he celebrated felt like another year separating him from them while all he wanted was to go back in time and live that part of his life when they were still with him, again and again. Whenever the moment came for him to blow out those lit birthday candles on the cake, he always had one and only one wish: That his parents would come back to him.

From the very beginning of his life he had to learn how to live without the affection of his parents and it had filled his heart with pain and sorrow and now, on the top of that he had to see Bart, his own little brother die too. That thought was much worse than the torture itself, it was slowly ripping him apart and he couldn't do anything. He had already given so much away. How much more did he have to give before expecting something in return from life?

"Hey" Oliver felt himself being shaken gently which forced him to come back to reality and face the face of the woman he felt so attracted to.

"Talk to me please. I need to know what's going on in that head of yours." said Chloe in such a caring tone it was almost weighting on his chest to see so much concern for him in those deep green eyes.

"Chloe…"

"I want to help you Ollie, please." demanded the petite blonde, trying once again to get a glimpse of how deep his emotional wound really was.

Her words seemed to have the opposite effect as Oliver shot her a astonished look and quickly stood up to put some distance between them both physically and emotionally.

"How can you even want to help me after all I have done?"

"Don't blame yourself, this isn't your fault…" replied Chloe in an attempt to reassure him.

"This is my fault, Chloe! You don't understand!" nearly-shouted Oliver. "Bart is between life and death because of me! Only _ME_!"

"No…"

"Chloe please…" Oliver stopped her sentence. "Get away from me."

The thickness of emotions in his voice was killing her almost as much as her heart hurt because of his words. He was asking her to run away from him, but she couldn't and it confused her.

"Why?"

The hurt expression on her face made him regret his words the moment they came out of his mouth but he couldn't allow that. Keeping her close to him would only lead her to end up hurt or even worse… And he couldn't live without her, not ever. He had already lost his parents, then he was losing Bart and soon that could be her. He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let her get hurt, she was way too important to him. Losing her would break him _beyond_ repair.

He was protecting her by pushing her away. That was the best way to stop Alia or even Zod from hurting her. If they couldn't see any affection between him and that woman that was sneaking her way into his heart, they wouldn't torture her and she would still be alive, by his side.

_By his side but not with him. She never would after that._

"Please… just go…" The way she was staring at him was his undoing, he was on the brink to change his words and ask her to stay there, close to him, with him.

But against his hopes, Chloe vigorously shook her head and moved closer to him, a soft hand landing on his chest, making him suck in his breath.

"I can't do that Ollie, I want to be here with you." protested the blonde. She wasn't going to give up on him so easily. "We can find a way to save Bart and clean all this mess!"

Ander and despair appeared on his face as he felt she wasn't going to let him go. If she didn't want to leave him while he was good to her then he was going to make her hate him.

"I'm not the hero you think I am!" shouted the blond man, jerking his body away from hers. "You're not my girlfriend; you're not even someone I care about! I'm just a playboy who screws when he wants and leaves when there's nothing left!"

It pained him more than he would admit to deliver such words to her which, by the way where all completely wrong. Even if it went against everything that was saying his brain, his heart was telling him she was the most important person in his life. A person he could never lose.

 _Losing her._ He couldn't help but be obsessed with that. Every time he took a look into her eyes he saw everything he could have with her but also everything he couldn't if he came to lose her and that scared him to death.

He shocked her by his sudden outburst he could see that but what he would have in mind until the rest of his life was the way her eyes shinned with unshed tears, reflecting the deep hurt he was doing to her. But it was too late to repair that, he had to finish what he had started, even if it killed him.

"Unless you want me to screw you till you can't walk then I'm your man! If not then just go away because there's nothing else I have to offer!"

She couldn't take it anymore his words were like a knife cutting deep in her heart and it hurt much more than she thought. Tears dropping from her eyes, she ran away from him, hoping this was all a nightmare.

Seeing her leave so pained made Oliver stop. At least he succeeded in his task by pushing her away, he should be happy to know that she would be safer now. So why was he feeling like a complete jerk right now?

* * *

In the other room, everyone had heard the yells from Oliver as he was with Chloe and moments later, they saw her running in the other way, tears streaming down her face.

Tess quickly got up and followed her friend. She found her hugging herself hidden in a corner of the cell, sobbing her eyes out.

Chloe saw Tess past her blurry vision and jumped up to send her arms around her best friend. The latter was quick to react and hugged her as the ex-journalist cried her pain out for what felt like forever to her. Her heart was constricting with each sobs the blonde let out and she couldn't help but wonder what Oliver had done to render her that way.

"Am I doomed to one-sided love for the rest of my life?" Chloe managed to say between her sobs as Tess rocked her body and whispered her calming words to sooth her.

* * *

In another room of the cell, Bruce didn't lose any time and walked towards where Oliver was; wanting to find out what happened between his two blond friends.

"Anzus, do you mind staying with Bart while we check on them?" asked Dinah.

"Go, we'll alert you in case anything changes." assured Condo as the old doctor nodded in acceptance.

The humans in the room stood up and separated under the orders of Dinah who was scowling about the fact that they chose that moment to argue while Bart could die in the next hours.

"You guys follow Bruce." said the canary. "I got a feeling Oliver is the one who messed up!"

"Okay."

Hal, AC, and Victor walked out of Bart's 'medical' room and found themselves looking at a very nervous Oliver and a pissed off Bruce. The two seemed to be arguing over what had just happened between Star City's bachelor and the metropolis' journalist.

"You mean you did that on purpose?" hissed Bruce glaring at his oldest friend.

"I had no choice!" tried to reason Oliver.

"What happened?" tried Hal to get into the conversation –or more argument- between his friends. Bruce turned round to face them and they could clearly picture the emotions in his face. He was angry at Oliver that was more than clear.

"What happened is that Mr. Queen here," he extended an arm toward Oliver. "couldn't help but being a jerk and yell at Chloe!"

"No, that's not it!-" interrupted the man in question.

"That's exactly what happened!" yelled Gotham's prince. "Damn it Ollie! What do you have in mind?"

The blond dropped his gaze on the ground in shame for what he had done. Two minutes ago his actions seemed justified to himself but now… he was not so sure anymore.

"Why did you do that? Man! Seriously?" spoke Victor.

"She's completely lovely; she doesn't deserve to be treated that way!" AC expressed his first impressions on the situation. "C'mon, I didn't think you could be so rude, especially with her!"

"I just…. I just wanted to protect her." replied Oliver, trying to explain his actions but his words only caused Bruce to snort in disbelief.

"By pushing her away?" asked the latter. "Well good job you did it well! But you also just ruined any chance you had with her!"

His yells stopped abruptly as silence engulfed the room for a moment. Bruce wanted to let his words sink in Oliver. The moment he saw it in his eyes, he went on.

"You know, maybe it's been too long." whispered Bruce. "But when I met you I didn't think you could ever, ever act that way. I'm… I'm disappointed Oliver."

It hurt to say that to the man he considered as his brother, but Bruce knew that Oliver deserved it for treating her that way. He didn't understand him. They seemed so close to each other, he had seen that spark between his friend and Chloe but the man fucked up. There were no words to him to describe that and it pained him to see his friend could change so much in only a few years.

Seconds passed by slowly as Oliver and Bruce stared at each other right in the face. Pain and shame filling the first one's eyes, disappointment and anger in the latter's. Eventually, Bruce decided the best for him was to leave Oliver alone, maybe that would help him clear his thoughts, and he could still find the light and come back to his senses.

Bruce's walk out froze the atmosphere in the room. AC, Hal and Victor were still there, staring at Oliver with shocked and dark expressions on their faces. The latter couldn't stand their glares and turned round to escape them.

Finally they left him but not before sending him some 'Jerk', 'screwed up', before leaving him alone.

_Alone with his conscience._

* * *

The men joined Tess and Dinah who were still comforting Chloe, wrapped up in a hug with Tess. The first one to move was Bruce who was looked still angry at Oliver. He approached Chloe and put a hand on her shoulder, seeking her eyes for a second before speaking up.

"I'm sorry Chloe, I don't know what he has in mind but that doesn't excuse him."

Chloe sniffled a few times before wrapping her arms around him and hide her face in his chest. The latter seemed a bit surprised but still returned the hug.

"That's none of your fault, Bruce." protested the blonde in a small voice, causing him to smile a little.

"I know." replied the billionaire who kissed her forehead gently before letting her at the cares of Dinah.

Tess who couldn't stand seeing Chloe like this began to rush out of the room, ready to yell at Oliver but was stopped by Hal who blocked her path.

"Where is he?" blurted out the redhead between gritted teeth.

"No, Tess! Calm down!" Hal stopped her once again as she tried to force her way out. "We've given him a lesson, trust me. He needs some time alone now."

He ran his hand back and forth her upper arm which seemed to calm her sudden anger but she still held a grudge against Oliver like everyone in the room but yelling at him wouldn't help. All they could do now was comfort Chloe and take care of Bart.

Everyone in the room walked over the blonde and gave her a hug, a kiss on the check here and there and some calming words. It warmed her heart to be the center of attention in the cell, they were taking good care of her and no one else ever did that to her in her life except her parents and the Kents of course. Maybe that was because of the cell, of Zod or Alia but they were more than friends now, they were all family to her. But no matter how hard they would try, their kind actions could never completely cheer her up. She had been deeply hurt and only one person could heal her.

"Hey!" Condo's alarmed voice snapped them out of their familial bubble. "Guards are coming over there!"

Surprise crossed their eyes before they understood the meaning of their visit in their cell: the guards were coming to get someone and send that person in the arena. And this time, death would be the only outcome for the chosen one.

Zod hadn't forgotten.

He never did.

 


	8. Broken bones and disunity

**_Chapter 8 – Broken bones and disunity_ **

"Well isn't that a heart-warming scene?"

The sneer of the guard followed by the mocking laugh of his peers pictured exactly the sudden change of situation for the young humans. Seconds before, they were profiting of a warm and comforting atmosphere but now that the guards have entered what had become their home, the harsh reality hit them again. The aliens weren't there for nothing.

"Enough with the hugs now," The chief spoke up. "Blondie!" He pointed at Chloe who was still hidden in Bruce's arms. "Guess it's your turn!"

Automatically, the humans stepped closer to each others, instinctively deciding to form a human barrier to protect Chloe. They had already seen one of them fight in the arena and fortunately he won but that wouldn't always be that way and they knew it. They would not let themselves be fooled again. If the Kryptonians wanted one of them, they would have to step over their dead bodies.

Then again, they were just plain humans and the aliens standing in front of them could crush their skulls with a single hand. They were quickly reminded of that as the guards didn't wait for an answer and were already moving forward.

They first stopped in front of AC who stood protectively as a first line defence before his peers who were all tightly grouped around Chloe.

"Step aside!" ordered the chief but was only met by an insult from AC who was quickly reprimanded by being thrown away.

He hit the bars of the wall and landed on the floor with a grunt of pain.

Agitation and shouts were thrown in protestation but Tess was the first to react by an idea of her own as she knew that her best friend was in no condition to fight at the moment.

"Stop!" she yelled. "Take me in instead."

That only got a snort out of the man who continued to reach for the blonde. Tess grabbed his arm and stared him right in the eyes.

"Get me into the arena instead!" she repeated.

"Go away, bitch! General Zod wants blondie, not you!"

"Tell him he's just a worthless and stupid bastard who has no balls and that my grandmother could give him the beat of his life herself." That was a bold move or stupid even, it depended on the way you looked at it but she was out of options. She only hoped the men were stupid enough to change their minds after that.

Fortunately or unfortunately for her -She didn't really know- it worked.

"How dare you?" the chief yelled. Tess saw him lift a hand in the air and she braced herself for the blow she knew would happen.

Strangely enough, it never came.

Instead she heard a gust of wind and when she opened her eyes again she saw that the fist of the man had been stopped a few inches away from her face by none other than Kal himself.

The guard looked surprised and opened his mouth to protest but Kal beat him to it.

"Don't!" he reprimanded easily. "Do as she says, take her instead, I have a feeling she'll give our subjects a great fight."

The corners of his mouth turned into a twisted smile. He had _always_ trusted his guts in the past and they had never failed him, not once. And right now his guts were telling him that sending the redhead in the arena was the best choice, she seemed hard-headed and tough, maybe that in another life she could have chosen the other side.

As Tess was being led away by his men, Kal turned around to see the humans united in a group, fiercely protecting the petite blonde in the arms of Bruce. They all looked torn between protecting Chloe or helping Tess, a powerless expression on their faces.

Yet, the guiltiest one was the face of Chloe. Kal easily made his way to her by pushing some of them away easily, reminding them he was the one in control, and found himself head to head with Bruce Wayne, whose arms were protecting Chloe in more a brotherly gesture than anything else.

He didn't focus his attention on him for long before, looking at the woman, whose body -he now remarked- was tiny but curvaceous, making a flash of lust appear in his eyes. He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek.

She stiffened and jerked her head away, Bruce pushed her body behind his making the Kryptonian laugh.

"Don't worry baby, when I got time I'll come back for you." He sneered and stared at Bruce who much to his anger was a bit taller than him.

"Keep dreaming" he whispered in a threatening tone.

Kal only smirked as his eyes were firmly engaged in a staring contest with Bruce's.

"I'm gonna enjoy having my way with her right in front of you and the other bastard. Speaking of which- where is lover boy?"

"None of your business." the taller man replied through gritted teeth.

"Well I'm letting it go for now, only because I don't wanna be late to see your friend die in a painful way. I'll make sure her opponent will be worth it too, not like the other time."

"If it weren't for that stupid piece of metal, I'd scream in your ears till your brain jumps out of your screwed skull, you moron!" Dinah snapped as she gestured at the necklace that kept her from screaming.

"Keep saying that and you'll be next after the red bitch, birdy!" he said as he walked for the door.

He glanced at AC who was recovering from the blow he took earlier, helped by Victor.

"You took the easy road because of your father, and I would never renounce on fighting against you when the time comes." the robot-man told him.

"You would have to be free and much stronger to frighten me, you're just a piece of tin now and I could break you with one hand if I wanted."

"I don't understand why you keep doing all those things to the people in here."

"Because I can." He flashed a daring smile before he left.

A few steps later, he glanced over his shoulder and shot one last line.

"Where is the fun in helping ignorant and selfish people?"

His laugh resonated in the air while he vanished from their sight.

* * *

Oliver was staying back, unwilling to face his peers after what he had done. He had seen the whole scene from the moment the guards entered their cell. He almost had a panic attack when he heard Chloe's name being called to be sent into the arena. Tess had sacrificed herself for her, proving once again that the bond between the two women was strong. Oliver was glad that she did and he knew he owed her a lot now but he also felt bad for preferring having her sacrificing herself instead of Chloe, and again he was amazed by how much he had come to care about the blonde woman. He wondered if that made him a bad man.

Oliver was torn now as he saw his friends being forced to leave while he stood back from them, he did not know what to do between going with them and somehow trying to protect Tess or, staying at Bart's side and hoping that he was going to wake up soon. He would never admit it out loud but he missed the silly jokes the young man had been cracking and that Oliver had been complaining about since the first time he met him. He always had a way to cheer up anyone who was down, even in this hostile world, he had been one of the only thing that helped them all to be a bit more comfortable

A muffled voice shook him out of his thoughts and he realized that the guards were making their way inside the cell.

"Oliver!"

He turned his head to see Condo waving at him, gesturing him to follow his steps, which he did quietly.

"Come on! I'll hide you"

"But my friends-" Oliver began only to be cut by the alien shushing him.

He moved a wooden plank hidden under a pile of hay and shoved him inside a hand-dug hole, a bit forcefully when he saw that the guards were coming in quickly.

With one last glance at the young man, Condo delivered his instructions.

"Hold your breath as much as you can and try not to make any sound!" he half-whispered to him before closing the trap and spreading some hay on it and quickly standing up to face the Kryptonians. He could only pray that Oliver acted as he had been told and that the aliens decided not to use their super-vision.

It was only a matter of seconds before the men spotted him and made their way to him, one of them grabbing him by the neck, lifting his body from the ground.

"You piece of filth, are going to tell me where the Green Arrow guy is!" the guard violently shoved him against one wall and Condo knew he had to simulate fear to get them off his back.

"I haven't seen him, I swear, please don't hit me, please! I don't know anything, I.. I swear!"

He could tell by the cruel smirk on the men's face that he had been convincing and next thing he knew, his neck was released and he stumbled on the ground.

He heard the guards evoking the possibility that Oliver had been taken away by Zod or Kal as they left the cell and secured the door.

Wrapping one hand around his sore throat, trying to ease the pain there, he stood up and waited for the guards to be far enough to open the trap once again, revealing the civilian appearance of the infamous Green Arrow.

"Are you okay?" the blond man questioned.

"Don't worry about me, you already have a lot to worry about for me to add to it."

Oliver only nodded and grabbed a hand Condo was offering him before climbing out of the hole.

"Why did you go into all of this trouble for me? You know they can go after you if they realize I'm not anywhere to be found." He asked, concerned and also a bit curious by the alien's motivation.

Condo only shook his head and gestured Oliver to follow him.

"You were standing back from your friends and I figured you didn't want to leave the kid's side besides, I needed to talk to you." He explained, glancing at Oliver who only arched an eyebrow, silently asking him to continue.

Condo didn't say anything until they reached the upper floor. There, he asked his alien friends who had taken refuge up there to make their way downstairs because he needed to a private conversation with Oliver. The group accepted and left, leaving only Oliver and Condo in the room. The latter gestured the human to sit on a simple chair. Oliver did as asked and saw Condo reach for a dusty bottle and two handmade goblets before setting them on the piece of wood they used as a table.

"You're afraid." He bluntly announced him as he filled the glasses with some crystal-blue liquid.

Oliver looked up to see the alien's face who was calmly studying him.

"Afraid of what?"

"Of everything." Condo moved the bottle to fill Oliver's glass before speaking again when he saw that he was going to protest. "You are afraid that Bart's going to pass away so you close on yourself, You know that Zod wants you more than your friends and even if it scares you to the death you know you would sacrifice yourself to protect them even if you didn't know half of them a few days ago."

He paused, letting his words sink in. When he saw Oliver shift uncomfortably on his chair, he knew he had a point. He grabbed his glass, gesturing Oliver to do the same before clinking their glasses together and drinking them. Condo drank it in one gulp and Oliver did the same, instantly regretting it when he felt the alcohol violently burn his throat, all the way to his stomach, making him cough relentlessly.

Condo only smirked before filling Oliver's glass again and handing it to him.

"Drink again, the second time it appeases your throat." He told him, a bit of amusement in his voice.

Oliver knew it was his only option to calm his body so he drank it again, surprised when the burning instantly calmed down as the liquid made its way down his throat.

"Moloko" Condo said. "That's the name of this beverage from my planet, I managed to keep it with me and didn't open it until now. They say it gets better with time."

Oliver snorted.

"You can say that!"

Condo laughed before filling their glasses again. This time, Oliver gulped the strong liquid without any protest.

The alien's face grew serious again as he continued his earlier speech.

"You don't want your friends to get hurt because they're close to you, you know you couldn't deal with that kind of guilt." He looked into his eyes before continuing. "So you push them away."

Oliver gulped as the fresh memories of his last encounter with the woman whom he had come to care about came into his mind. "Chloe."

His voice was barely audible but Condo heard him.

"Exactly." Condo nodded.

"How do you know all of that?" Oliver asked, part of him was curious but he was much more eager to change the subject of their conversation. He sighed in contentment when Condo took the hint.

"My race is reputed to have a lot of empathy." explained the alien before shrugging. "But this is not about me, this is about you and your ego."

Oliver sighed. Apparently the man seemed determined to make a point. He focused on the first emotion that came to him. Anger.

"What do you want me to do uh?" Oliver's voice rose as he shot up from his chair and began to pace like an enraged tiger in a cage. "That's the only way to prevent them from being hurt!"

"Is it?" asked Condo. "Or is it just so you can appease your conscience?"

Oliver only shook his head in denial. Condo grabbed Oliver forcefully, his patience was wearing thin and the man was so damn stubborn.

"Listen!" his voice was hard as he shook the human, trying to make him understand his mistake. "Whether or not they're close to you they'll get hurt eventually." said Condo. "No one can flee the wrath of Zod."

"I... I just don't know what else to do." Oliver finally let out his helplessness. Condo relaxed a little, seeing he was finally opening his eyes, but his grip on him was still strong.

"We all felt that when we first came here, trust me." continued Condo. "But by your actions you're only creating division in your own side when you should all be united to face what can happen every minute in this world."

Oliver knew that Condo was right, he had probably made a mistake by pushing Chloe away but maybe that now it was too late to fix it. There was still a part of him that whispered in his head that maybe he'd been right, maybe that would give her and his friends more time to live. Another voice in his head was just telling him that this was bullshit because living longer in this world meant living in pain where death was the only release.

The truth was that he was nowhere near ready to lose anyone of his new-found friends.

Condo was watching the young human struggling with himself, the outcome of that battle would tell him if Oliver had been receptive or not. He hoped that he had been.

The alien was about to leave him quietly so that he could find the answers himself when cries came from downstairs, startling them both.

Condo and Oliver exchanged a look before rushing towards the noise only to stop dead in their tracks when they came at the source of the cries.

Their eyes widened at the sight in front of them.

"Bart!"

* * *

The group had arrived at the arena, the guards had pushed them in the place where the prisoners were being forced to watch one of them fight and die in the battle zone.

Hal was worried. Tess was still nowhere to be seen and he was sure that the fight that was going to happen would not be pretty. In his agitation, he was glancing everywhere, trying to find a way to help her.

A faint blue light caught his eye. Doing further inspection he saw that the light came from the ring that a kryptonian was currently slipping off his finger. The same ring that Zod had slipped onto his finger before beating him when they first met, he remembered.

Hal watched as the alien took off his ring and put it in his back pocket.

He had an idea of what these rings did to Kryptonians but he wasn't sure of his theory yet. He made a mental note to ask about it to one of their alien cell-mates when they were back.

"Do you think she'll make it?" He heard Dinah asking from behind him over the impatient and demanding shouts of the crowd. He could hear the concern in her voice.

Hal turned around to see his friends regrouped in a little circle. He wanted to tell them that she was going to be okay but he wasn't even sure himself if it was going to happen.

"I guess... Well it'll depend on her opponent I suppose." Victor announced the most rational thought as usual, making the other humans nod in agreement despite them.

"Tess is able to take care of herself, I'm sure she's gonna win." Hal joined the conversation. "No matter who her opponent is."

"You know I want to believe like you but.." AC sighed.

"But what?" Hal cut him, his voice raising a little. "She's gonna win, I tell you!"

Bruce only shook his head and decided to leave them alone till they stopped fighting over something that could only make them miserable. Instead, he decided to join Chloe who was alone in a corner of their space, she looked deep in thought and sad.

Now that he came to think of it, Bruce realized that she's been rather silent on the walk over the arena, that wasn't like her.

"You okay, Chloe?"

She didn't even move but he heard her mutter something like _'Stupid question'._

He chuckled a little. There she was the Chloe he had come to know over the past few days.

She turned around and he could see that her expression was clouded by guilt. That wasn't surprising considering that she was supposed to be at Tess's place right now.

"This is not your fault, you know." He tried to reassure her but she raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't do this." She told him in a firm tone. "We both know that I should be out there right now, not Tess."

Bruce wanted to retort by telling that she had been in no condition to fight when the guards came in their cell but he didn't want to remind her of her argument with Oliver so, he decided to use a different approach.

"Don't torture yourself Chloe, right now, what's important is that we support her while she goes through that fight, she'll need us." said the billionaire.

Chloe let out a long sigh and nodded right as the crowd began to cheer, announcing that one of the fighters was going in.

They all rushed towards the arena, pulling themselves as close as they could to it without being crushed by the barbed wire delimiting the area of the fights.

* * *

Tess had barely put a foot inside the arena that already the crowd roared in impatience. The shouts overwhelming her, her heart began to beat erratically in her chest as she felt anxiousness but also dread invade her body. That was the feeling provoked by the fear of the unknown. In this case, the fear of who might be her opponent.

Will it be another giant monster like the one Oliver had beaten? Or will Zod be fairer and give her an opponent she could stand a chance against? Maybe it was going to be a woman's fight. She hadn't seen any woman fight in this arena yet so maybe Zod reserved that for this moment and knowing him, the woman was not going to be easy.

The worst part was that Tess wasn't even afraid of killing the person that was soon going to meet her on the sandy ground of the 'ring' because she didn't want to die and if she had to kill to survive then she was going to do it. That was part of the darkness she felt since the time her parents...

"IT'S ZAROR!" A man shouted over the constant din. Instantly a wave of renewed impatience mixed with excitation seized the crowd.

"Zaror! Zaror!" they were already chanting the fighter's name yet, he or she hadn't even entered the arena.

Their screams were going to lead her deaf, she could swear that her ears were hurting already. Tess quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind – She needed to stay focused. She was losing her focus, she could not let that happen.

* * *

At the other end of the arena, Zod had just arrived in time to see the human being led to fight. Anger marred his face as he recalled the conversation he had had with his son over the reason the redhead had been chosen over Queen's girl. He hadn't wanted Tess to fight, he wanted Chloe. She had to fight and die in this place like so many other people had been doing for twenty years already.

Chloe Sullivan had to die, he figured she was probably the only person whose death would break Queen forever. Usually he didn't like to break people outside of this arena because when they were in it, they were only seeking death and the fight would be quick and boring. Yet it had become personal between him and the human and that was the reason Oliver wasn't planned to be sent to fight again. He would stay in his cell only to see his friends die one by one till he is alone. Then, a long and painful death was awaiting him in the sinister underground of his mansion.

Zod sighed. At least that was until Kal decided to mess with his plans. Apparently, his son also had a personal grudge again the human archer and he seemed very excited over the idea of fighting against him and personally killing him. Zod could only accept as he felt a sense of pride over the fact that all those years of efforts were finally rewarded by the fact that the little Kal from the House of El truly embraced the House of Zod's ideals. He had even made sure to change the fighter against whom Tess was going to fight. This time, there would not be some random combatant chosen, no. This was time for the champion to come back.

"Zaror !" the spectators were impatient. Some of them had seen the fighter enter the corridor leading to the arena despite his men's attempts at hiding the alien from the crowd. It didn't matter. It was time.

Zod nodded at Kal who discreetly left by a back-door to reach the barbed corridor under the royal rostrum. Approaching a black-cloaked figure encircled by guards who were awaiting his order, Kal spoke up quietly.

"It's been a long time since your last fight, the crowd's practically going wild just by the mention of your name, Zaror." he told the fighter.

"It's show-time!"

Kal smirked before indicating his men that they could open the door. It was going to be a good fight, he felt it.

* * *

"Damn where's this fucking Zaror? Or is that even a name?"

"Shh Dinah, you shouldn't be impatient to see Tess fight there." AC reprimanded her.

"But look at her, she's scared so I figured the faster, the better!"

"Fuck! Are you so eager to see her die?" Hal's angered and agitated tone cut what AC was going to say as he aggressively stepped towards her.

Bruce put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I'm sure Dinah didn't mean it that way, Hal."

"Of course I didn't! Hal don't get offended, sometimes I just.. It just came out the wrong way." apologised the blonde.

"Sorry." Hal sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers nervously. "I do not want to see her die, not now not ever."

"She can handle herself, trust me." Everyone turned around to see Chloe approaching them. "I know her better than anyone."

Bruce smiled faintly as he finally saw her join them for the first time since they left their cell. He put an arm around her shoulders before squeezing her lightly.

"She knows we're here and that we won't let her down." he said simply.

This time the spectators cries and shouts multiplied exponentially as they saw a mysterious black-clad figure finally enter the arena actually making the crowd turn completely wild. Some were bouncing of excitement, others were screaming 'Zaror' till their lungs burned and a few were crying of emotion. That surprised them, that was the first time the humans had seen some of these people display a 'decent' emotion. Yet, no matter what the emotion was, it was still triggered by the same thing. The thirst for blood.

The figure turned its back to Tess before shrugging off the black veil, hiding his or her body. Slowly at first, to tease the crowd then, the cloth fell to the ground revealing a man over six foot tall and about 200 lbs of lean muscle.

Hal scoffed. _'So much for a fair fight!'_ He thought.

The man wasn't as imposing as the beast that Oliver had managed to defeat yet, he knew that this man wasn't going to make it easy on Tess if the black tattoo on his back was anything to by:

_An open eye dripping blood._

The man waved animatedly at the crowd with his two arms, gesturing them to be louder which they agreed greedily. He turned around and finally faced Tess for the first time since he entered the arena.

Zaror approached her slowly until there were only a few feet between them. He had stopped at the perfect distance to destabilize her. They were close yet still out of reach from each other. His eyes were boring into hers and Hal took notice of his body language. A chest slightly bent backwards and pushed back shoulders. Clearly the man was in control, he was the image of cockiness and arrogance.

He saw Tess begin to lose her patience and Zaror seemed to sense it too because he chose that moment to finally step into her personal space. Feeling endangered, Tess sent a fist forward in a quick movement. Zaror's eyes widened in fake surprise, ducked the blow easily before raising his knee in a defensive posture and making a show of waving his hands at her; adding a grimace in the mix to annoy her.

It worked. Tess shot her leg out, sending a kick to his supporting leg. She was quick and it was clear to Hal that she had some kind of training but Zaror was faster once again. He jumped, dodging her kick before stealthily moving around her, sending a series of easy punches in her direction. She ducked them too and riposted by shooting a right hook followed by a straight uppercut and much to Hal's surprise a perfectly aimed roundhouse kick.

Still, It wasn't enough. Zaror moved quickly avoiding each move with an ease and a speed that was merely human.

Eventually, he stopped in front of her and she took advantage of the moment by trying to hit him again. This time it worked. Zaror's chest was hit by a series of powerful blows yet he appeared unmoved, unmarked and unpained. Tess remarked that she had no effect on him so she decided to use a more direct approach.

Her left fist connected with his jaw forcing him to turn around by the force of it. He took his time to work his jaw and Tess thought she had thrown him off when a kick shot out, she didn't have time to react that she was already on the ground, a dull ache making itself known in her mouth. A liquid tasting like iron flowing over her tongue. She spat blood on the soil.

She tried to get up but the blow she'd received had been strong and she was still dealing with its after effects. It didn't matter to him because her recovering time was over when she felt his hand grab her hair and painfully force her to get up. She tried to send another kick at him to make him loose his grip but he avoided it like all the other blows she'd sent his way.

She saw his face move forward and quickly realized what he intended to do. She sent her arm over her face to protect herself but he forced it away before head-butting her.

She cried out of pain as she felt his forehead hit her nose and cracking the bone. The _bastard_ had broken her nose.

"Don't give up Tess!"

She recognized the voices of her friends. She had spotted them when she entered the ring but now she was dizzy and the last blow had made her lose her sense of orientation.

Yet, their support was reminding her that she could not die. She had to survive.. but he was so strong.

With a last effort she blindly tried to knee him in the groin but as always the jab was easily ducked and she felt his strong arm pull her over his own body. She landed on her back on the hard ground.

She felt him remove his grip on her hair but was too weak to react, she knew that she was on the brink of unconsciousness.

Hal was losing grip on his emotions, a wave of fury surge over him as he saw Zaror leave her on the ground to parade around her body, his arms high in the air, a victorious expression on his face.

"Kill! Kill ! Kill!" demanded the crowd, eager to see the match end on a gory note.

To their surprise, Zaror gestured his refusal. He seemed in no rush to end the fight now. The crowd made offended noises but when he came back towards her, they began to cheer him again.

He towered over her seemingly unconscious form. He clasped his fingers several times above her face, trying to get her attention only to kick her in the gut when he failed to get it.

Again the crowd cheered "Blood! More Blood! More Blood!"

"GET UP TESS!"

It was his voice. Hal's always been very supportive of her since the beginning and it triggered something in her. With all of her willpower she left the edge between reality and unconsciousness. Her limbs became alive again, and she tried to get up. She was confused when she saw Zaror's arm extended in her direction as if he wanted to help her to get up. She shook her head. She could not let herself be fooled again by his antics, she forcefully pushed his hand away only to be slapped back on reprimand. She was back on the ground, her head was pounding, her nose was broken and bleeding profusely and her mouth felt dry and sore.

Hal saw Zaror's hand wrap around her neck, he lifted her to force her to get up. Another wave of fresh and barely contained anger engulfed his entire being as he saw the man eagerly lick the blood off her face before kissing her. She struggled against him but she was too exhausted by the fight to stop him. Nothing stopped him and he took advantage of it by possessing her mouth with his tongue before breaking the grotesque kiss and gesturing at the crowd again which was on the brink of turning completely crazy and crossing the barbed fences to join them in the fight arena.

Zaror sent her body slamming on a pillar of the edifice, making her express her pain loudly once again. She looked as if she was going to pass out at any moment, her legs seconds away from giving out. At that moment, Zaror decided to truly show his skills. It was going to last only seconds but they were going to be the longest and most painful seconds of her life.

He ran a few steps back before turning towards her again. Hal's eyes widened as he saw Zaror advancing forward by spinning on himself four times on one foot before sending a strong kick to her head. Hitting her painfully, she faltered but miraculously stayed up.

He didn't loose time and pummelled her body with several kicks on her sides. Hal counted, one, two, three, four each time on one side. The man had the most amazing footwork he had ever seen and that was saying a lot. Zaror could literally shift his weight from one foot to one another so quickly that you could miss it if you weren't attentive.

He could only gape as he saw him jump, his legs encircling her right arm, shifting his hips in, he used his weight to make her fall.

It did not even last a second before he made a short but efficient movement at her arm. Her scream pierced through the arena, covering the already very loud crowd. It shook the humans to their very core. It was a scream of raw pain and they could only look as Tess cried helplessly.

"Fuck!" Hal exclaimed as a pain shot through his own body. He looked down and realized that he had gripped the barbed wire when Tess screamed. He saw the blood dripping from his hand but he actually welcomed the pain as a diversion from the horrific spectacle of the arena. It was too much to him, he had to do something.

The thoughts of the mysterious blue ring that he had seen before the fight came back into his mind. An idea formed in his mind. He had do to it now or Tess was never going to make it through.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd definitely didn't lost a second to ask for more blood, another reminder that he had to act quickly.

"Where are you going?"

"Just stay right here, Chloe!" Hal ran in the direction of the exit, a guards with his back to him fell into sight.

Mind working a mile a minute, Hal elaborated a plan to take the guy down.

_Just nice and quiet like the old times!_

He stumbled, managed to make a few clumsy steps before falling onto the ground with a thud that got the Kryptonian's attention.

"Already sick of the show, aren't you pretty boy?" sneered the alien.

"Please... help me"

He laughed before grabbing Hal to stand him up and drove his fist into his stomach. Hal doubled over in pain much to the soldier's enjoyment. He didn't notice the quick movement of Hal's left hand that wandered into his coat's left pocket.

He sent another punch but his eyes widened in surprise when Hal stopped his hand before it hit him. He didn't feel the strength he had had just a few moments ago.

A flash of blue caught his eye. "The ring!"

"Thanks, Gorgeous!"

He was rendered silent by a strong punch into his jaw. Hal stepped over his unconscious body and sprinted his way into the arena hoping that he wasn't too late.

He only met two more guards on his way and they were too stunned to do anything. His feet were moving as fast as he could, he was sure that he had never run as quickly before that moment in his entire life because in seconds he was out of the dark corridors and was met by the red sun light and surprised noises of the arena then, silence.

* * *

**Here are some pictures that could help your mind:  
Zaror (character based on the actor Marko Zaror from Undisputed 3): [Link here](http://valence.mike.free.fr/pics/010UDT_Marko_Zaror_005.jpg)  
The tattoo on his back: ** [ **Link here** ](http://valence.mike.free.fr/pics/Scary-Tattoo-For-Men-150x150.jpg)


	9. Shattered Hopes

_His feet were moving as fast as he could, he was sure that he had never run as quickly before that moment in his entire life because in seconds he was out of the dark corridors and was met by the red sun light and surprised noises of the arena then, silence._

Hal stopped dead in track right after entering the arena. Every eyes turned to him, no sound could be heard apart from the birds in sky who were chanting happily, oblivious to the world around them.

Sweat was making its way down his back as he noticed Tess, still on the ground and not moving. She probably had passed out, _or worse._..

He shook his head, trying to get the ugly thought out of his head. Focusing once more before him, he saw that Zaror was staring at him dead in the eyes. A closed expression on his face yet, he noticed some slight lines at the corners of his mouth -he was having a hard time not to grin- that gave Hal some shivers.

Sounds of hurried footsteps behind him made Hal turn round to see Chloe, Bruce, Dinah, AC and Victor rushing at his side.

"What do you think you're doing, man?" barked AC though the silence of the crowded enclosure.

"We're in this together, remember!" Victor joined in, agreeing with his friend.

For the first time since their entrance, they glanced around them, taking notice of the crowd, the guards who looked like they'd been called off and finally, the champion, Zaror.

Instantly, they formed a line, knowing from the moment they put foot on the sand that they'd crossed the point of no return. Chloe's mind was busy elaborating a plan to get them out of this predicament but the moment her eyes fell on Tess's unconscious form, her mind was made.

"You guys, take down Zaror, I will get to Tess." she ordered them quietly, seeing them nod out of the corner of the eye, she knew they were ready.

"On three." her voice was almost inaudible yet, she managed to be heard even by Victor who was on the other side of the line.

"One." The humans took a proper posture, ready to bolt on the signal. The crowd seemed to sense their plan because numerous whispers were floating over the arena.

"Two." She saw Zaror look up from them and nod at someone behind them. _Probably Zod_ , she thought as she remembered that the royal stage was right behind them. His gaze settled on them again and Chloe saw it as their clue.

"NOW !" she yelled, making the crowd shout and cheer loudly.

As soon as the word left her lips the line of humans rushed forward, approaching their target feeling confident by the fact that they outnumbered the enemy.

They circled Zaror, who didn't seem phased at all by the situation he was in. When they were close enough, he quickly ducked Dinah's kick before jumping up and kicking his legs out, crashing them into Bruce's and Victor's jaws who fell on the ground, stunned by the force of the blow.

His two feet back on the soil, he pushed Dinah away who stumbled a bit before punching and head-butting AC who hit the dust with a groan of pain. The next second, Zaror found himself engaging a fight with Hal, one on one.

The man's angry mood was giving more strength but he was much faster. Zaror easily dodged his jabs before letting him take advantage of the fight. Letting his arms down, he felt Hal's left hook connect with his jaw followed by a kick in the gut and he was down.

Hal pummelled his face, his anger fuelled even more by the arrogant smile playing on the alien's lips.

"Is that all you've got?" He laughed while Hal was still striving on him. "Let me show you what real skill is about!"

Suddenly, Hal was sent forward, crashing head first on the sand. He hadn't had time to process what was happening that Zaror was already up and kicking his side before rolling him onto his back and landing a strong punch on his face, rendering him unconscious.

Satisfied, Zaror turned around but was stopped by Dinah's right fist, he stumbled backward and she took advantage of the moment by giving him some of her best tricks. She jumped forward, her knee first, hoping to finally take him out. Surprise crossed her face as Zaror moved out of the way and was already behind her, grabbing her hips and sending her crashing into a pillar nearby.

She fell to the ground, out.

Zaror grinned in contentment, again making the crowd cheer and chant his name. He was savouring his victory when he turned around but was knocked out by a roundhouse kick.

His head was spinning and he cursed himself for forgetting the other blonde. He propped himself on his elbows, trying to stand up but he felt her legs wrap around his neck and squeeze him. He couldn't breathe anymore and realized that she attempted to make him pass out.

Chloe had been able to catch him on surprise, that was a good thing that she and Tess had decided to take some karate lessons a few years back. In just a few months they had become really good at that.

Feeling the alien struggle to get free, she squeezed his neck tighter, not able to react when his two legs shot out and knocked her off him. Chloe rolled on her back with a groan of pain, she saw the world turn around her when Zaror came into her vision. He was holding his jaw and looked angry.

"Bitch!" he yelled at her and slapped her several times but was stopped by the guards who were running into the arena.

Chloe's world was still blurry and dizzy when she came to. The first thing she heard was the crowd cheering. She was confused until her eyes fell on Zod who was standing before them, an unreadable expression on his face.

Glancing sideways, she noticed her friends appeared battered and bruising but still alive. And they were conscious again. It had surprised her, the strength and the rapidity of Zaror. Despite the number of opponents against him, he still had found a way to win, this man seemed unbeatable.

"Humans!"

All heads turned towards Zod, silence fell upon the room.

"You have chosen to disobey me." said the ruler of the planet, his voice as calm and cool as the breeze of the northern winds. "You will learn that disobeying Zod..." Anger consumed him in the insides, he was no longer able to hid it. "ALWAYS. COMES. AT A PRICE!"

The crowd cheered him and the humans trembled as Zod unsheathed his sword and reached forward, coming head to head with Chloe. He raised his sword and she closed her eyes to brace herself for the blow, expecting her death to be quick and painless. Surprise filled her when the crowd booed and the blow didn't come.

"Live! Live! Live!"

She opened her eyes, unsure of what she would see. Zod was still there, the sword still in his hand but he looked as surprised as she was. The crowd continued to chant its disagreement and he was forced to lower his arm and take a step back.

One of his personal guards whispered something to him and he seemingly looked calmer yet, the fire of ire still danced in his eyes. He stared at the young offenders before him, wondering if they weren't the bravest people he'd ever seen.. or the most stupid.

Tess was still unconscious, it wasn't surprising considering what she had been through; Victor, Bruce and AC sported superficial wound on their bodies, results of the fight they had been in. Chloe seemed the less affected physically by the fight because she was the only one who managed to have the advantage against Zaror for a moment. Finally, his eyes set on Hal. The young man had bleeding wounds on his forehead and looked ready to jump at his throat. Zod smirked.

"Lead them back to their cell." He ordered his men but his eyes never left Hal's. The cheers of the crowd hid his next words but the humans heard it.

"Take him to the mansion." he pointed to Hal.

Immediately, his friends struggled from the guards grip and shouted but the crowd was oblivious to it all and eventually, the aliens succeeded at forcing them out of the arena leaving a satisfied Zod and a calm Hal behind them.

* * *

"Get off me!" snapped Dinah as she vainly struggled against the grip of the one of the guards who were leading them back to their cell. They couldn't help but remark that it had become a sinister routine for them: leaving for the arena, watching the fight before going back to the cell. Over the days it had become boring, stressful and horribly scary for them. The worst was that it was always leaving them to speculate for the most horrible things to happen before leaving the detention district only to see their fears come true or turn even worse before coming back to their 'home' as everyone was dreadfully calling the cell.

"Shut up!" hissed the guard, only encouraging the humans to protest even more loudly. The alien sighed. Sometimes he wished he could disobey a bit and shut them up himself but Zod was against hurting prisoners when they were outside of the arena. He knew better than to disobey him, these humans were the perfect example of what could happen if you ever got on Zod's bad side. He didn't know what his master had prepared for them but it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Private!" The chief's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Open the gate!".

The prison guard behind the high fence approached as close as he could to the leader of the patrol.

"Checking in or dropping in?" asked the soldier.

The chief took a step aside to show the handcuffed line of prisoners behind him. "Dropping in." he gestured with his hand to the humans. The guard mumbled a _okay_ and indicated his subordinates to open the fence gates.

Once done, they entered the detention district of the city named after the capital city of the ex-Krypton: _Kandor_.

Chloe and her friends were forced to follow their captors inside the _'city in the city'_ as she liked to think of it considering that from what she'd seen the cells took the most part of the city space. She looked at the different sections passing by at her sides. Each section contained a hundred of cells and from the length of the main corridor, Chloe could only imagine that there could be something like hundreds, if not thousands, of sections.

The group stopped in the middle of the corridor, on their left was another door with a sign above it showing of the identification of their section: _D51_. The chief rattled at the fence door before another guard appeared and opened it, murmuring a dark _'Welcome back homies'_ as the humans passed by him.

Again, a long walk was _offered_ to them, This time the wooden and fenced constructs of the cells invaded their sights. Turning their heads from side to side, the humans could catch some movements from the inmates inside their uncomfortable houses. It never ceased to give them anxious shivers and uneasy goosebumps, seeing so many people reduced to being prisoners, _slaves_ ; destined to fight and die every day. They could only ask themselves how it could have turned so bad. Was there still a way to make the balance shift in their favour? They doubted it but they had to try.

Eventually, they stopped in front of their own cell. The guards opened the last doors and shoved them inside with their usual sneers and mocking comment before securing the door and leaving.

Victor stumbled a bit from the force of the guard before a catching a wall to steady himself and rub his non-robotic wrists, trying to ease the stinging sensation left by the handcuffs.

He was still recovering from the fight. The substance the Kryptonians had injected him when he had first arrived on Sedna wasn't helping either. Ever since, he had felt physically weak and his robotic parts weren't working as great as before.

He raised his head and immediately sensed that something was off. It was silent, too silent. In normal time there was always the noises coming from the neighbour cells and some other people talking in their own prison but now, there was nothing that could be heard, nothing at all. It was dead silent.

Victor turned his head towards his friends who looked as confused as him. Raising an eyebrow in their direction, Bruce shrugged, answering his silent question.

"I'm going to find a place to put her down." said AC quietly, moving with an unconscious Tess in his arms further forward into the cell only to be met by Condo who appeared at the entrance of the room, a grim expression marring his face.

"How did it go?" asked the alien carefully.

"Uh... Good, well at least... I mean.." stammered the water prince as he met the death glare of Chloe.

"Tess is in a bad shape, that's what you call _good_?" she began angrily, putting an emphasis on the last word. She opened her mouth to react further but AC cut her off.

"I mean she's still alive, that's something good, isn't?" he tried to redeem himself.

"At least that's something." Condo declared a bit louder to stop the argument before either of them could say something they would regret later. "On another matter, I've got news." he announced gravely and saw a hint of hope in their eyes. He shook his head and went on. "Bad news." instantly, hope was gone, replaced by fear.

Condo hesitated for a second before opening his mouth. "It's Bart... he's _dead_."

Shock crossed their faces amongst a bunch of other emotions, hurt, sadness, rage, fear, but also, denial. Victor was the first one to rush past Condo to reach the room where Bart had last been in. He found the young speedster there still lying on the table with his arms folded over his chest, a peaceful expression on his face. He could have sworn that the young man was sleeping but the pallor of his skin said something else. Bart _really_ passed away.

He felt a wetness well up into his eyes before dropping to his knees and hide his face in his hands, crying quietly.

"Oh no." exclaimed Dinah as she arrived with the others in the room. Her sight as well first encountered the still body of Bart lying on that same table he'd been put on days earlier but what she noticed most where the alien friends of Condo standing respectfully at Bart's side depicting a sad yet stern emotion, obviously silently supporting them in this rude moment. The ambiance of the room made it clear that Bart was gone and something tugged at her heart as she recalled the terror in his eyes when Alia had pushed that heated bar into him, his scream before he passed out. Raising a hand to cover her mouth, she silently left the room before letting her emotions overcome her. She had never been one to be emotional but the injustice of it revolted and saddened her at a point she couldn't imagine.

Chloe felt her tears running down her cheeks, steadying herself thanks to a wall, she tried to stay strong but seeing Bart, so young, so full of life, now _dead_ , she couldn't stop her emotions from taking the better of her. She wiped her eyes before she saw Bruce moving into the room and sit besides Oliver whom she hadn't noticed before, was standing apart from the group gathered around Bart's corpse, his elbows on his knees and his face hidden behind his large hands.

The sight of him, sad and broken, sent another wave of moisture in her eyes. She felt bad for him and she barely resisted the urge to reach to him and take him into her arms when she reminded herself that she couldn't do that. That would only be more awkward between the two of them after what happened the last time they were alone together.

She wanted to be angry at him but given the current circumstances she couldn't bring herself to do that so she decided to do something useful. Waving a hand at Anzus, she gestured him to follow her before turning towards AC who was still holding Tess in his arms. Tugging at his shirt, she tried to offer him a smile but failed as she saw the sadness on his face.

"Come on." she urged him quietly. "We've got to take care of Tess."

AC followed her without a word out of the room as the old alien fell into his steps.

* * *

"I failed him."

His voice was not even above a whisper and his hands that covered his face rendered it a mumble but Bruce clearly heard it.

"Why do you say that?"

The gentle tone of his friend made Oliver look up at him and that was then that Bruce really noticed how much Bart's death affected him, his red rimmed eyes and the tear strains on his face were screaming pure sorrow. He looked lost and almost in physical pain but what kept his attention was the flash of guilt in his eyes.

"He died because of me, it's my fault I should have protected him, I.." his voice trailed off as he felt his voice wavering.

Bruce swallowed the lump in his throat before answering. "Don't... don't blame yourself you couldn't have done anything." Oliver snorted.

"I should have found a way!" he retorted a little louder than intended.

"You were tied up and hanging from the cellar, you couldn't have done anything Ollie!" Bruce repeated . "I know how much he meant to you but don't swallow yourself in guilt that would not do you any good."

"He was my partner, my disciple, my friend even a little brother to me how could I not feel guilty over his death, Bruce?" he replied in a tight voice still shadowed by his pain.

"He wouldn't want you to cry over him." the older man told him with certainty. "He would want you to stand against Zod, prove him that you can live up _for him_ , prove him that you can defeat Zod, _for him_!"

Oliver nodded as he closed his eyes, trying to suppress his urging emotions.

"He was a fighter, he would want you to fight. I'm sure he got that from you." Bruce teased him and nudged him lightly trying to brighten his mood.

Oliver smiled sadly before sighing. "How can I defeat him? You've seen him, Bruce." he said with an edge of uncertainty that he hated in his voice. "Zod has powers and an entire at his command, he's unbeatable."

"We'll find a way." Bruce patted him on the back. "We're a team, we'll come up with something." he promised him before hugging him like two brothers would at the funeral of their cadet one.

* * *

"How are you two holding up?"

Anzus asked Chloe and AC while he towered over Tess's unconscious form. The woman had taken quite a beating he noticed.

"As much as we can I guess." AC answered smartly. "One of our friends is dead another one is in coma and the last one well... he could be in the worse pain possible right now, so..."

"I'm sorry for your loss." the alien told them honestly. Both humans nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.

After a few moments of silence Anzus decided to say something.

"You know," he began. "Tess is going to make it, you shouldn't worry about her."

Chloe nodded and chuckled lightly, the tears still in her eyes. "I know, she's tough!"

"Indeed she is." Anzus agreed. "From what I've seen, she's got a dislocated shoulder, two broken ribs, a broken nose and a few cracked teeth."

Chloe winced at the list of injuries. That didn't sound so good.

"I'm going to take care of her shoulder right now, then I'll see what I can do about her nose but for the rest, I'm sorry I can't do anything else." The doctor sent them an apologetic look.

"Thank you for everything, Anzus. I don't know what we'd do without you." Chloe told him honestly.

The alien nodded before sighing. "Ah, I wish I could have done more for the kid but..." He swallowed hard as he remembered that mentioning Bart would only hurt them more than necessary.

Ignoring the look of pain in their eyes, Anzus turned his attention back towards Tess's shoulder.

Moving her arm slowly and carefully into a precise pattern he waited till he felt the bone sharply move back into her shoulder socket with a loud popping noise that made both humans wince.

Chloe sighed in relief. Tess was going to be okay, _for now_. That made at least one good news she figured. But now that Tess was out of danger, she couldn't help but think about what Hal could be going through at that moment. He was alone and probably scared and she was sure it was safe to say that he was in pain considering the sadistic nature of Zod. Shivers went down her spine as fear but also rage danced together in her green eyes.

What kind of horrible thing could Hal be undergoing in that very moment?

* * *

_A few hours later..._

"The session is over, _Harold_!"

Hal turned his head with difficulty at Zod's voice. His entire body was hurting, he felt exhausted and on the brink of tears. Hal had tried to be strong but there were moment he had thought he was going to break but no, he had not and he was relieved to hear that it was over. It seemed like Zod and Alia were not going to have the satisfaction to hear him begging them to stop.

Those hours of ordeal had felt like the longest of his life. The two aliens had showed him no mercy, sending him through the worst kind of pain imaginable. From Alia's usual fire torture to skin ripping and passing through hundreds of whiplashes -courtesy of Zod-, Hal had managed to hold on but he was sure his body was going to take a long time to recover from that.

"Oh no!" Alia pouted. "We were just going to hit the interesting part!"

Zod laughed but didn't come back on his order. "There will always be more time for another session."

He approached Hal's battered body, a smug look on his face.

"Hey!" he said, slapping Hal for his own pleasure. "Now you know how it feels like to defy Zod." he hissed before leaning forward to whisper in his ear even through it was nothing Alia couldn't hear.

"Next time you try to be smarter than me, I can assure you that I will make you kneel and cry like a bitch before me.." He pressed his hand painfully on one of Hal's open wounds making him cry in pain. "I am the king here, and every riot will be suppressed in blood!" Zod hissed in a quiet but authoritative voice all the while pressing his hand harder onto Hal's wounded flesh.

Finally, he removed his hand with a smirk, letting Hal recover, and left the room ordering his men to bring him back to his cell with the other humans.

The soldiers came and unlocked his handcuffs, Hal fell unceremoniously on a console next to him before hitting the ground, neither him nor the guards heard the faint click of a button in that moment.

 


	10. Renewal and Immorality

_The soldiers came and unlocked his handcuffs, Hal fell unceremoniously on a console next to him before hitting the ground, neither him nor the guards heard the faint click of a button in that moment._

A few hours later, hope was slowly but surely returning to a man who thought he never could have that luxury anymore. Years of abuse and humiliation had taken its toll on him, the poor state of his body wasn't even the reflect of the damage inflicted to his soul. J'onn J'onzz was a broken man.

Twenty years of forced reclusion had had reason over him, J'onn had had time to perfect the art of mind extraction. The concept was easy: separate your mind from your body so you can't feel the physical pain you're going through. It had taken years but now for J'onn J'onzz that technique wasn't a problem anymore.

Physical torture wasn't his issue anymore, mind torture however, was something else. They say the wounds that last the longest are the mental ones. That, he could only agree, being locked up under a mansion and knowing he could never get out of it was ten times worse than a session of whiplash with Zod.

Despite his battered body and his broken mind, tonight, J'onn J'onzz had hope. He kept his calm through, _that might just be some malfunction_ , he reasoned himself. Yet, he couldn't ignore the fact that the routine of hourly fire blasts had stopped for three hours already.

When he first arrived on Sedna, Zod had told him that the room he was going to live in from now on had been specifically made for him -or rather against him- to prevent the Martian from using his abilities there were several fire blasters that were activated once an hour to weaken him enough that he was unable to use his strength or his telepathy ability.

Now these machines were off, and had been so for enough time that J'onn already felt his strength coming back to him. If only they could stay that way for a little bit longer, he would fully recover his abilities and finally break free from this hell Zod had forced him in.

 _Now is not the time to dream_ , he summoned himself. _It's time for hope, hope that his dreams would come true._

Time would give him the answer, it always did.

* * *

Hal's world was still a blur when he was sent back to his cell. He could feel the arms of two guards, dragging him along with them towards their destination. Voices flew in his ears but his brains didn't register the words, too exhausted from the trauma he just went through. He could not feel the headache that was slowly but surely taking over his brain, nor did he feel the sting of his wounds from which blood was still pouring out. All he felt was numbness.

The soldiers dragged him inside the cell, finding the first room empty, they stepped in further only to find the spectacle of Bart's corpse still lying on a table. Hal was dropped on the middle of the room as all eyes turned to the visitors.

"Oh well what do we have here?" sneered the first guards as he stepped closer to Bart's body, taking in the pallor of his tan.

"Looks like someone decided to leave us earlier than planned." said the other Kryptonian, making his comrade roar with laughter as he began to grab the dead body of the young human. The prisoners however, did not seem to share their opinion and agitation took over the room as Victor put a warning hand on the kryptonian's shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" his voice was calm, cool but it contained a veil of anger in it that didn't escape the alien. Letting go of Bart's arm, the man turned to face Victor, his face as cold as steel.

"You might want to remove your hand before something awful happens to you."

The threat was clear and blatant, reminding the human that no matter what happened he couldn't stop him. Victor let go of the man but did not break eye contact with him, wanting to show him that he wasn't afraid.

"Now, here what's going to happen." explained the second guard to the room. "We're going to get rid of this dead meat and you're going to stay calm and quiet till your turn comes. Then and only then, will you join your little friend along with the other thousands of other decomposing carcasses in the cemetery." he added.

Granted that the guard was purposely keeping to himself the sad and horrifying reality. There was no 'cemetery' strictly speaking because the place were all the victims of the arena and other various dead prisoners were being sent to putrefaction was a huge wasteland used as an open sky mass grave; a paradise for all the crows and other animals in quest for food.

"No way, you're leaving with him." Chloe exclaimed, already seeing her friends agreeing with her by the way they began to stand up.

"Chloe."

The blonde turned round and her eyes met Oliver's for the first time in hours, the anguish and pain in his eyes made her chest tighten and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. Only, she knew she couldn't do that after what had happened between them.

"Let him, Bart deserves to be at peace." Oliver said, he could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him and somehow he felt that most of them were wondering what the hell he was thinking for wanting the aliens to take Bart's body away.

Maybe they couldn't understand but Oliver wanted Bart to rest in peace and not on that table in the middle of their cells. Bart deserved to have a peaceful journey in death.

"Finally someone with some common sense!" the guard sneered while his comrade lifted the body over his shoulder and began to walk out. The man stopped before Chloe, enjoying the pain they were feeling.

"Don't worry, you'll join him soon enough!"

The two men laughed loudly not caring about the fact that they were in the same room where people were mourning. Out of the corner of the eye, Chloe saw Oliver's expression turn from pained to angered when they heard one of the soldier make a suggestive comment about her, making them laugh even harder.

The wheels in her head turned as she tried to understand why Oliver was acting the way he did. First he yelled at her and now he was being protective? That didn't make sense. She glanced at the table where Bart had been and her eyes widened as everything fell into place. She had been hurt when Oliver had first pushed her away and she had let her emotions cloud her judgment. Chloe wasn't normally one to go all emotional but the connection she was feeling with Oliver was strong and his words hurt her more than she dared to admit.

Now with Bart's death, Kal and Zod's hatred for Oliver and the look in the latter's eyes, she understood. Oliver had tried -and succeeded- to make her leave his side so that their enemies would not see their connection and wouldn't hurt her. In a way that was smart. But from Chloe's point of view his logic was flawed. Oliver could hide in their cell and make his friends hate him forever but that wouldn't help them. The kryptonians had already remarked the bond that they had all formed over their days of captivity. It was too late to go back and pretend that seeing their friends get hurt or worse - _Bart_...- wouldn't affect them.

Now that could be a weakness... or a strength. She just had to make him see it her way. She wanted nothing more than to reach and tell him her opinion but considering the moment, Chloe figured that he might not be very receptive to her. She bit her lip as she decided to join Victor and Dinah who had taken Hal to another room a few moment earlier.

* * *

Faora quietly paced down the main aisle of the mansion. She just came out of one of the dozen guest bedrooms where she had just had her way with one of the guards. _That was great_ she thought with a smug smile on her face. Still it wasn't great enough for her. In twenty years she'd had more lovers than she could count but she had yet to find the one who matched her passion and desires. She knew that most people saw her as a whore who just had authority because she was Zod's wife but to her that was more than that. She had learned that sex was just another way to express a person's true personality. When she found the man who could satisfy her desire, she knew she would find her match in him. No matter who he was.

She was seen as a cheater but that wasn't as if Zod didn't do the same. Plus, kryptonian culture was very open when it came to sexual relationships but the interpretation could differ considering the person. Faora was just in quest for her soul mate.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw her son approaching her. "Kal." she smiled at it before hugging him. Despite the fact that he wasn't her biological son and that he was becoming more like Zod with each passing day, Faora had become fond of him and loved him like her own son.

"I was looking for father. Do you where he is?" Kal replied as he hugged her back. He pulled back so he could see her face and smile at her. He really loved his mother, she was strong yet caring, loving yet independent. She was much easier to speak with than Zod. During his young years Kal and his father had had difficult moments when he still had issues with his morality. That was over now. Their relationships had been repaired but it would never be as great as the one he had with his mother.

"I think he was on the main balcony when I last saw him." she said thoughtful. "Come on we'll find him." she made her way down the aisle with Kal following her. After crossing several large rooms and a corridor, they finally made it in the main hall and found Zod talking with one of his most trusted soldiers, Nam-Ek.

Faora saw Zod sending Nam-Ek away as he noticed them approaching. When the soldier left, Zod focused his attention on his family. "Are my wife and son already plotting my demise?" he joked.

Both Faora and Kal laughed. "Actually, our son was looking for you." she replied as she joined her husband and hugged his arm and both turned to Kal. Zod raised an eyebrow at him in question. "Well, what is it my son?" he asked when Kal didn't say anything although he already had an idea of what he wanted. He had spent twenty years raising him to become the man he wanted him to be and Zod liked to think he had succeeded but sometimes, he felt like there was something missing.

"Father, You already know how much I'd love to fight in the arena again." the younger man began. "And I'm sorry if that goes against your will but I want to fight Queen." Kal developed a strong hatred for the human and he new Zod shared the same feeling for the man with him. They both had already talked about it but the older kryptonian had seemed reticent to the idea, Kal wanted to convince him that he could give him some great spectacle while getting rid of the human for him.

Zod sighed. His son was never going to let that go, he thought. In this way he was just like _him_. A smirk appeared on his face as he realized once again that with each passing day Kal was becoming more and more like him. And maybe, this fight was the 'something missing' that Zod had always felt when it came to his son. The outcome of this fight was going to reveal if Kal had truly been worthy of his time and efforts. He felt his wife tug at his arm lightly, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You've got one day of preparation." he told him, seeing his son's face brighten at his answer. "The fight is in two days. Make him suffer."

"I will. Thanks father!" Kal added as he headed out of the room.

"Kal!" Zod called after him. "Don't disappoint me." Kal nodded at his father and disappeared from the room. Zod sighed. "This fight will prove us if he's a true member of the House of Zod." he said turning toward his wife and kissing her lightly on the lips.

"He will." Faora replied confidently. "He's our son, our baby."

* * *

"How's she? She's going to make it right? Why does no one answer me?!"

Chloe wanted to roll her eyes at Hal's display of concern toward the redhead of the group. He, himself, was in a bad shape and Tess was recovering just fine. Anzus had just told them it was going to take her a few more hours to find consciousness again and that there was no reason to worry.

"She's just out for the moment, don't worry Hal she'll wake up soon." said Dinah as she helped Anzus cleaning and patching up his wounds. They both had helped Hal to lie on a 'white' part of the ground. He had shifted on his right side because the large injuries of his back stopped him from adopting another position and so that the blood could not rush out of the wound on his left hip. He couldn't see it but everyone had cringed at the sight of his bloodied and beaten back, strained with unmistakable whip marks and it looked _deep_.

Oliver looked as Hal winced and moved helplessly under the gentle nursing tentative of Anzus and Dinah. The man was in a bad shape and Oliver couldn't imagine how much his injuries could hurt. He saw Anzus asking for someone to restraint the wounded man so he could do his work efficiently. Oliver moved forward along with Bruce, AC and the alien grasshopper but was stopped by a hand slipping in his. Turning sideways he realized that the hand was Chloe's and she was now looking at him with a determined glint in her green eyes. Oliver swallowed hard and tried not to focus on how soft her skin felt under his calloused fingers. "What are you doing?" he whispered. Chloe did not say a word and tugged at his hand, making him follow her out of the room.

He wondered if she was going to yell at him for what he had said to her. He felt shivers running down his spine although he would never admit that it was because the feisty blonde was _sort of_ scaring him. Last time, he caught her off-guard and she had run away but he knew that she could be lethal if she wanted to.

Once she found an empty room she let go of his hand, turned around and crossed her arms over her chest while sending a glare in his direction. Oliver stood rooted to his spot and raised a hand to the back of his neck nervously. "Listen, uh Chloe I get that I hurt you earlier and I'm sorry..." he began lamely but stopped from going on and on when he saw the reprimanding look in her eyes.

"This isn't about you and me Oliver, this is about all of us."

Oliver blinked, confused that she wasn't there for a yelling contest that he probably deserved. "What do you mean?"

Chloe scoffed. "You don't see it, do you?" asked Chloe and saw him shake his head. "Everyone looks up to you and yet you try to isolate yourself from them, from us." she added and Oliver wondered if 'us' meant he and Chloe or all of them. Not that he deserved a chance with her after what he had done, a bitter voice in his head told him. "You can't keep going on that way because you're making all of us, _vulnerable_. We need someone who can inspire us, a leader, a _beacon of hope_."

The blond archer was truly realizing the extent of his mistakes thanks to Condo and now to Chloe. He had let fear control him, the fear to lose again people close to him, people he cared about, and look at where it got him. Bart dead, Tess in coma and Hal probably scarred for life, not to mention the multiple humiliations the kryptonian soldiers had all put them through. Oliver Queen was the goddamned Green Arrow for Christ sake! He had learn to control his emotions, his fear. The months of physical and mental training he went through with Vordigan -his mentor- had steeled his will and made him a dreadful opponent. However, today and if Oliver wanted to be honest, since he arrived, he had forgotten all of that and let his irrational side take over him and he had made the biggest mistakes of his life.

His thoughts went to Bart. The young man died because he had been afraid of the world they had been pulled in. Aliens, fighters, prisoners, all of this had scared him almost to the point of no return. He also knew that part of his fear was the dread to lose someone you love. _And he had_. Bart, the fastest man he knew and loved like a brother; After the torture Alia had done on him, Oliver hadn't wanted to lose anyone else and his fears had automatically gone to Chloe. The woman he loved. It should have surprised him but honestly it didn't. He had felt such a connection with her when they first met in his penthouse. It was strong, deep and could definitely become something beautiful.

"I'm sorry." he whispered but locked gazes with her. "I shouldn't have done what I did." he said as he slowly approached her before gently pulling her to him. "Now, I know how much I was wrong." He was determined to become the person Chloe had described, a leader, someone strong enough to be able to lead them out of this hell and find the hope to bring justice back into this world.

"I know." Chloe replied softly. She had witnessed the way his mind had shown him the light. She had looked in his eyes and it was like she was there with him, like she saw everything he saw, like she thought everything he thought about. It was amazing... and so terrifying at the same time. Her heartbeat picked up the moment she felt his hands on her and she was having a hard time thinking straight. She saw him bent his head slowly and alarms went off in her head. It wasn't because she didn't want him to kiss her because she wanted it so bad. It was because she wasn't afraid to let him in and truly embrace him, accepting their possible relationship to its full potential. And that frightened her.

Chloe laughed in the inside. She was scared because she wasn't scared of him. She was crazy. Oliver was turning her into a complete mess and she was loving it. When their lips were only at one breath apart she put her finger on his, stopping him from going any further. Mischief danced in his eyes when she saw surprise cross his face. "Apologies accepted." she told him before quickly disentangling herself from his grip. She walked away, her back to him before turning around, a playful smirk on her face. "But you won't get away with it so easily." With those words she was gone, leaving a bewildered Oliver in her trail.

* * *

The night had fallen on the prison twenty minutes earlier and the humans as well as their alien friends were slowly drifting to the arms of Morpheus. Unaware of the excited pair of eyes who had been watching them silently for a few hours already. He could barely refrain his sex drive as the little blonde fell into his sight. His eyes roamed over her body appreciatively and he could not help himself from licking his lips in anticipation. Tonight he was going to make Chloe Sullivan his and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

 


	11. The Light

_Tonight he was going to make Chloe Sullivan his and he was going to enjoy every second of it._

Oliver shifted again, failing to find sleep. His mind wouldn't shut itself off, there was still too much to deal with. He couldn't chase the image of Bart's dead body from his mind and the pain that went with it. Then there was Chloe and her actions, her words, he smiled. She really was something.

A few meaningful words and she had managed to put him back on track. Oliver had found his faith back thanks to her, now he couldn't let her down after all of that. He had been thinking about thousands ways to escape Zod's reign of terror for the past fifteen minutes but every time that a solution seemed like it could work, there was always something to contradict the plan. Too risky, not enough time, too much repercussions...

He felt his frustration grow with each thoughts, he had to come up with something soon because he already knew that their time was counted. Of course they could live for several years in those cells just like Condo and his friends but it was highly unlikely. Zod had swore to make Oliver's life -and those of his friends by extension- a living hell and so far, he was doing good.

Which is why the wheels in his head were running a mile a minute only coming up with flawed solutions. Oliver sighed. It was really starting to get on his nerves. His plans could work but he felt that there was always something missing. The thing that would assure his friends to get out of here unscathed and find a safe place. _Was there even a safe place on this planet?_ Oliver huffed and shifted again. He should sleep, maybe tomorrow he would be able to find a solution.

Just as sleep was about to win over him, his ears caught the sound of a faint squeak coming from a badly-oiled door. A faint squeak he recognized as belonging to the door of _their_ cell. Instantly, his eyes flew open but he stayed still, slowly observing the room through the dark of the night. The dead silence confirming to Oliver that something felt off, usually there were the hooting of some birds and other nightly animals. Now there was none.

Something moved, no, someone. It was a person, apparently a man from what Oliver could tell though it was hard to see in the night. It didn't matter who it was but he was moving towards them. His heart started beating faster in his chest and he held his breath as he waited for the right moment to jump in action and stop the man.

The next seconds felt like minutes to him, he saw the man approach them ever so slowly before... "DON'T TOUCH HER!" yelled Oliver, jumping to his feet with nothing on his mind but to save Chloe whom the man had lifted on his shoulder. Oliver jumped towards him, hoping to force him to loosen his grip on her but he was met by a hard fist to his gut, sending him crashing to the wall.

Oliver heaved sharply, resisting the urge to vomit and trying to get some air back into his lungs. "What the hell? Put me on the ground!" he heard Chloe scream and saw her kicking vainly against the man who was occupied to punch their friends away just like he did with Oliver.

The man was circled and everyone was shouting around them as Chloe never stopped trying to escape from him but failing every time as the iron grip of his arm on her waist wouldn't let loose.

"What's the matter Chloe? You don't want some one on one time with me?"

Oliver froze at the sound of his voice just like everyone in the room as the man's laugh hung in the air like the whisper of an evil promise made to the devil.

It was _Kal_.

Oliver screamed as he leapt towards him once again, followed by his peers only to see him disappear with Chloe in the blink of an eye.

"CHLOE!"

* * *

"Put me down! Put me down, you son of a bitch!"

Kal laughed as the blonde woman on his shoulder tried to hit him by every way possible only to be reminded of the fact that his skin was as hard as steel. He closed the door of his bedroom with his foot before looking for his key in his pockets. He let out a triumphant noise when he found it before tossing Chloe on his other shoulder as if she were no more than a rag doll and then, proceeded to lock the door with his other hand.

Once done, he carried her in the room before dropping her on his bed all the while enjoying her useless attempts to hit him. She wasn't the type to let something go without a fight and he liked that. Something told him he was going to _love_ the way she was going to react to him being inside her.

Kal groaned at the thought before licking his lips in anticipation.

"Let go of me!" she struggled against his grip as he held her hands to her sides and let his eyes roam over her before drifting up to her face. Her eyes widened and fear knotted her stomach as she took notice of the lust in his eyes. She had had her share of life threatening moments in her life but she had never been in this situation and had always hoped she never would be.

Disgust filled her as she felt him lick her skin, dangerously closing in on her cleavage. It wasn't long before her clothes were ripped from her body leaving her fully exposed to him, a predatory glint in his eyes when he saw her wiggle fiercely beneath him, trying to escape him.

A mix of fear and shame threatened to consume her when she felt him press his body closer to hers, his face only an inch away from her ear as he whispered something to her.

"I'll take you whether you want it or not." he murmured to her. "I'll make you experience pleasure you'll never have with _Queen_." he sneered again as he started to lick her skin again, this time playing with her chest. She felt the tears gathering in her eyes but refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She knew there was nothing pleasant to what was going to happen. She couldn't help thinking about Oliver and that made her feel worse. She wanted him to be there to save her from this monster. She was on her own and at his mercy, unable to defend herself against the kryptonian's phenomenal strength.

Her eyes widened with panic and she wiggled even more against him as she realized that it was going to happen now.

He took himself in his hand and positioned himself at her entrance before his other hand took her jaw forcefully and forced her to look at him. Enjoying the way her body trembled with fear underneath his and the tears of shame in her eyes that she refused to let go.

"Please, please! don't do this!" her wavering voice begged him but it wasn't enough for him, he wanted her to hear her scream when he was inside her. Letting his face get closer to hers, he looked intensely in her eyes.

"You're going to like that, Chloe." he ordered her in a whisper. "Every slut loves to be fucked roughly and you are a slut Chloe, aren't you?"

Her eyes tried to flee his hunting gaze and he tightened his grip and shook her head violently, obliging her to look into his eyes. "Say it." he whispered. "Tell me that you're a slut. TELL ME!" he yelled when she said nothing.

A single tear rolled down her cheek but she forced herself to keep the determination in her eyes as she said her next words. "Go. to. _hell_!"

That wasn't the answer he wanted but somehow he was finding it much more enjoyable. Seeing this strong woman at his mercy and still refusing to give in, it excited him even more as he knew that he was going to break her in the next seconds.

"Wrong answer!" he sneered and took her lips in a painful and bruising kiss as he propelled his hips forward.

Chloe screamed as well as Kal but not in the way they expected. Chloe screamed in surprise as an tingling sensation took over her body and Kal looked in pain and he never stopped yelling. That was when she noticed the white light that enveloped her and she noted with surprise that he hadn't entered her. The light was somehow shielding her entire being while inflicting him pain.

Confusion and relief washed over her before another kind of fear appeared. What was that light? How did it appear? Why here? Why now?

Suddenly, they both felt a stabbing pain in their brains as strange images flowed before their eyes.

* * *

_"Lara, his destiny is set..." he answered, not allowing himself to let his voice waver. "as is ours."_

_"Goodbye, my sweet Kal-El."_

* * *

" _You have some pretty amazing friends Clark Kent." She smiled at him as he watched them leave the barn proudly._

" _Yeah. I do."_

* * *

" _To me you're more than just a hero." She told him as she was sat in a hospital bed, clad in a sterile white cloth. "You're a super-hero."_

* * *

" _Chloe, this is my friend Bart. He's from-"_

" _The future." Chloe turned to look at the younger man._

" _Really?"_

" _Yeah. I ran the way back in time so I can tell you that we're still in love a hundred years from now." He flirted as she laughed._

* * *

" _Nice to see you finally discover something worth living for after all." Clark said as he shook hands with Oliver clad as the Green Arrow._

" _Yeah, more like a rediscovery actually."_

* * *

" _I go out every night, I protect unfamiliar faces so that they can go home and be with the people that they care about. And the one person I should have been protecting the most... I failed her."_

* * *

" _You're a fighter, Oliver. You fought for yourself and for a second chance."_

* * *

" _Help me!" the woman yelled as she was trapped inside a burning building._

" _Look that's superman!" a man shouted as a flying figure broke into the building and rescued the woman._

" _Superman! Superman!" the crowed chanted in adoration._

* * *

" _Read it again, please!" the young boy asked. Chloe chuckled. Before lifting herself up from the bed and dropping the comic book on the bedside table._

" _There will always be more adventures for another day."_

* * *

" _The darkness!"; "Go to hell!"; "No. It'll be here soon enough."; "People of Earth! I am Darkseid, Lord of Apokolips!"; "Bow to your new master!"_

* * *

Chloe blinked but the blur wouldn't go. She shook her head, immediately regretting it when she felt a wave of nausea overwhelming her. Fighting a few minutes against the urge to throw up, she finally got the control over herself. Looking down at herself, she saw naked body and her clothes ripped all around her. Suddenly the memories came back to her.

Kal had tried to rape her! He was about to do it when... Some white light... What the hell was that light?

She heard a groan to her side, turning her head she saw Kal holding his head, seemingly in pain. Immediately the fear came back and she literally leapt off the bed, running as far away from him as she could. Finding a towel, she wrapped it against herself, hoping to preserve her modesty and tried not to give in to the fear that was about to take over her.

The world around him was spinning and his head felt like it was about to explode. Kal groaned again and tried to ease the pain as best as he could. When the blur faded, he started to remember what happened. He was about to have her, he was seconds away from making her his when there was that white glow emanating from her body and making every nerve in his body go into overdrive but in a bad way. A very bad way. It was the most painful experience he'd ever lived and he didn't want to try it again. Spotting her close to the door, he roared with rage and frustration.

"You bitch! What did you do to me?" he yelled at her, seeing her shaking with fear in response.

Attempting to get up, Kal stumbled as he failed to dissipate the fog in his brain. He was feeling dizzy and that was the first time it happened to him when he wasn't under the effect of blue kryptonite.

The second attempt was more productive. Kal was back on his feet and closing in on Chloe's curled form all the while yelling at her, demanding what she had done to him. He crouched and began to reach for her before stopping himself. He hesitated. If he touched her again would the glow attack him once more?

Figuring that his only solution was to see it for himself, he grabbed her forcefully, slapping her for good measure before speeding out of the room. He didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

* * *

Oliver was worried sick. Torturing his mind with the worst case scenarios he could think of. Each one even more terrifying than the last one. He shut his eyes and tried to calm himself down, hoping that when he opened them again that she would be here safe and sound.

He did.

"Shit!" he cursed as he smashed his fist into the nearest wall. Of course she wasn't here, how could he be this stupid?

God knows what she was going through at that moment he shuddered as he tried to get rid of the horrible images planted in his mind. Not knowing and most of all not being able to help her was eating away at him.

If anything happened to her, there was nothing that would stop him from getting revenge on Kal for her. It wasn't a matter of justice anymore, it was revenge. Sometimes justice was not enough and people had to satisfy their dark desires by the only way known to mankind: Vengeance.

Right when his mind was threatening to fall into its darkest depth, he heard loud cries and yells close to him. Turning around, he realized that he was alone in the room, his friends who had been there seconds ago had left, probably towards the source of the cries.

_Just how long had he been standing there?_

Rushing in the entry room he held his breath when he came across the sight of his friends with their backs turned to him, seemingly circling something, _or someone._

Pushing somewhat forcefully his way into the crowd, his breath caught in his throat when he saw Chloe sobbing in the arms of Dinah who rocked her gently while whispering soothing words. She looked like hell and the only towel hiding her modesty gave away what she had just been through.

Oliver saw red.

* * *

Kal was standing on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings of Kandor, admiring the view of the whole city spread before him. A feeling of power crept over him as he felt like he could do everything he wanted -which wasn't far from the truth. The proof of that was what happened this night with Chloe, he had taken her away from her friends and was going to have her if it wasn't for that damned white light. Frustration came back in his body and he was reminded that something felt strange for him ever since that event some ten minutes ago. Maybe he was still dealing with the aftershock but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more than that. Just like the fact that he was now standing on a rooftop which was something he never did usually.

Kal let out a quiet cry of pain as a sudden sharp pain stabbed his brain. What was going on?

* * *

" _You've done a hell of a job keeping the world safe on your own, Clark." Oliver told him, his hood was pushed back and his glasses taken off, a friendly smile grazing his features. "I'm here to help you now."_

" _Good." Kal responded but he wasn't in control of his body, it was like another person was talking. "Something tells me, soon the world will need all the help he can get."_

_They both looked over the city like two guardians ready to act to protect innocent people, whoever they were._

* * *

"Ahh!" Kal groaned as the pain intensified before completely fading the next second. The memory was in his mind for a second then disappeared, leaving him unable to remember it. The only reminder that something had happened was the uneasy feeling in his gut. _What the hell was that?_

All of a sudden a loud shout could be heard coming from the prison district, making Kal jerk up his head in surprise.

"KAL! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

A shiver went down his spine at his words. It was Oliver and he was sure his cry could be heard from the other side of the city too. Kal couldn't help himself feeling some apprehension and even fear at the tone of the human, he sounded like a man controlled by rage. The kind of rage that would not go away until the man responsible for it was dead.

Shaking off the feeling, he replaced his startled expression by a smug smile on his face. He couldn't have Chloe but at least something enjoyable went out of it. He was so looking forward to this fight in the arena now.

* * *

J'onn J'onzz breathed heavily as he failed to use his abilities once again. He was still too weak. Twenty years of torture couldn't be recovered in a few hours, that was just what he had hoped for. Now was not the time to be desperate. It was still the best opportunity he'd had in ages to escape.

Breathing slowly, he calmed himself using his mind. At least his brain was getting stronger and he knew it wouldn't be long for him to get his telepathic ability back.

"Not yet." He told himself. He was going to escape soon but not yet, _just not yet_.


	12. Confrontation

_A few hours later..._

J'onn J'onzz was now convinced that he had strong chances to escape. It's been twenty-one hours already since the fire blasters were shut down and now he had regained full control over his telepathic ability. People's minds were now as clear as crystal. What worried him however was the fact that a few hours earlier he had felt a strong sensation that he had only perceived once in the past.

For a brief second, there was a contact with another universe. It had been quick but unmistakable and now, he was looking through the crowd of minds accessible to him, to find which ones had taken part in it, why and how.

It had taken him almost two hours and a half but eventually, he found _them_. Kal'Dru-Zod and Chloe Sullivan. After looking into their minds, he knew how and why it happened. Their memories had brought back his own sorrow and guilt by the fact that he had been unable to protect Kal-El from Zod who had turned him into a younger version of his own self.

Maybe it wasn't too late, there might still be some hope for him.

_Kal'Dru-Zod, you shall remember the day when the fate of this universe succumbed to the evil forces._

_Remember Kal, remember what you chose to forget._

_Kal-El._

* * *

Kal grunted in his sleep as he unconsciously moved agitatedly as if trying to war with his own subconscious. Deep inside the depth of his mind was something that bothered him, something that had just been triggered, it was the source of his dreams.

* * *

" _This is Kal-El of Krypton, our infant son, our last hope. Please protect him and deliver him from evil. We will be with you, Kal-El, all the days of your life."_

* * *

_A tall man was standing in the middle of a kryptonian house, his white toga revealing his belonging to the Ruling Council of the shining planet once called Krypton. Explosions, cries and various war noises could he heard in the background along with some tremors that shook the ground from time to time. His worried frown eased a little when a black-skinned man approached him, they shook hands quickly before the white-clad man spoke up._

" _I am glad to see you again my friend, but now is not the time for small talk."_

_The visitor frowned. "What is it Jor-El?"_

" _Krypton's final hour is coming." Jor-El said gravely. "Zod has gotten his hands on Brainiac, he plans on igniting Krypton's core, J'onn."_

_J'onn gasped. "How can I help? Is there anything we can do?"_

" _I will fight Zod until my last breath but you," he pointed at the Martian. "are here for something else, my friend."_

" _If what you're saying is true, then there is no hope, you have to leave Jor-El."_

" _No! I'm guilty for letting Zod become the monster he is now, I have to repair my mistakes." The kryptonian argued._

" _This is insane, there's too much at stake!" J'onn shook his head. "You will die here if you stay! What about Lara and Kal-El?"_

" _That's what you're here for." He told him. "Lara won't leave me but she and I want our son to make it out alive."_

" _What do you mean Jor-El?" J'onn was getting more and more worried by the minute._

" _I am about to ask you to accomplish the greatest service you could ever give me, J'onn." Jor-El's voice was strong but he could hear the sadness hidden behind his mask of power. The kryptonian locked gaze with his friend. "Would you look after Kal-El once Lara and I are... gone?" he asked solemnly._

_The question was followed by a long moment of silence where the two friends only looked at each other, understanding what the other was thinking and that it wasn't about them, it was about the future of their families. J'onn knelt before him, the kryptonian way to show the amount of respect he had for his friend._

" _I swear in front of you that I will always have an eye on Kal-El, nothing will happen to him."_

" _Thank you."_

_J'onn stood up and he realized at that moment that it was probably the last time he was going to meet Jor-El. The silence was broken when shouts were heard from behind the closed door of the house. Jor-El closed his eyes, Zod's men were here._

" _It's time." he said, opening his eyes again._

_The noises behind the door were getting louder as both men heard the people outside trying to break inside. Jor-El nodded at him and began to retreat._

" _Wait!" J'onn called after him before closing the distance between them. "This is probably the last time we see each other and I wanted you to know that I've been honored to serve under your authority."_

_Jor-El seemed touched for a moment before regaining his composure. "And I am honored to be able to consider you as one of my closest friends."_

_The men shared a look of respect and understanding. No more words were needed, everything was said._

_Suddenly, the door broke open and the crowd rushed inside with a triumphant sound, already destroying everything on their way._

" _Leave Jor-El!" J'onn shouted to him as he used his powers to stop the crowd, grateful that the kryptonians didn't have abilities under the red sun, but they had strong weapons. It wouldn't be long before they broke free from his grasp._

_Jor-El began to run in the opposite direction. "I will send Kal-El away in a ship, find him!"_

" _I will! Now, go Jor-El! GO!"_

* * *

Kal woke up abruptly with a sharp gasp. He could feel the sweat on his body, all of his body, and his heart beating fast in his chest. His mind struggled for a few moments but when he tried to remember his dream, he failed.

What the hell was that?

* * *

The calm had finally settled over the prison district. After Chloe's return, the entire prison had awaken and made their disapproval of what happened loud and clear. It had taken all of the guards to be sent over in emergency to calm everyone. While Oliver appreciated their support, he would have wanted to find a peaceful spot where he could make Chloe rest. His heart clenched slightly as he recalled what happened. When Chloe came back, he had automatically assumed the worst but she had repeatedly told him that _it_ didn't happen, Kal didn't have it his way but she had refused to tell him more about it. Oliver didn't know if that was true or if she was still in shock but right now it didn't matter.

She was asleep in his arms, the towel still wrapped tightly around her while she was in his t-shirt. That was _what_ mattered. She needed and deserved to rest. Oliver, however was unable to find sleep, the fear to see her get kidnapped again too strong to let him drift to dreamworld. He looked down at her petite form comfortably settled in his arms, she had been calm and hadn't shown any sign of perturbation yet. Now, seeing her face, he was surprised to see a soft smile on it. The strong contrast of her smile compared to how broken she had looked when she came back left him wondering what she must be dreaming about to appear this peaceful, almost _happy_.

On Chloe's side, the first minutes of her sleep had been bloated with gross images of what Kal could have done to her. Unconsciously, she had shifted several times in Oliver's arms and closed her eyes even tighter, trying to get those horrible thoughts out of her mind. Then, all of a sudden all of it was gone and she felt overwhelmed by a warm and relaxing sensation, her mind finding a much better road for her thoughts.

* * *

" _Read it again!" the young boy demanded. Chloe laughed quietly before lifting herself up and off the bed, dropping the comic book on the bedside table._

" _There will always be more adventures for another day." she told him affectionately before dropping a kiss on his forehead. Helping him get under the covers, she went to leave before turning at the last moment to look at him. He was just like his father she thought with a smile on her face._

_She turned off the lights and closed the doors. Letting out a startled yelp when she practically collided with the Green Arrow. His hood was pulled back, his glasses taken off and he was wearing that boyish grin on his face making Chloe fail to glare at him._

" _You scared me!" She chastised him._

" _Oh sorry Mrs. Queen, I guess I'll have to make it up to you for that." He grinned as he began to kiss her neck. Chloe bit her lip, trying to stifle a moan but failing miserably. "So how many times did you read it to him, tonight?"_

_Chloe groaned. "Three." she complained. "He's never going to get tired of it."_

_Oliver laughed. "Come on, I know a way to help you forget all about our spoiled brat of a kid." he joked before claiming her lips in a passionate kiss._

" _And whose fault is that?" she asked, sounding exasperated before cracking a smile, her face softening. "Lead the way Mr Queen!"_

* * *

Oliver saw Chloe's smile widen and couldn't stop himself from kissing her forehead tenderly like he had always wanted to. He had expected her to spent the night haunted by thoughts of what happened with Kal and apparently she didn't. Now that his surprise wore off, he found himself glad to see Chloe this relaxed and wanted nothing more than to see this expression on her face everyday till the end of the times.

Only, to do that, he had to set her and their friends free and away from Zod, Kal, Alia and all the kryptonians. Just when his frustration was about to come back, a voice spoke in his head, a voice that wasn't _his_.

" _To this military attitude of the soul we give the name of Heroism... It is a self-trust which slights the restraints of prudence, in the plenitude of its energy and power to repair the harms it may suffer. The hero is a mind of such balance that no disturbances can shake his will... Are you willing to save your friends and the woman you love?"_

The voice was masculine and unknown to him. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once and although his first instinct was to jump into action and find the man to whom the voice belonged, he was overcome by a warm and relaxing feeling. The words spoken were finally processed by his brain and only one word came into his mind.

"Yes."

" _Are you willing to face the consequences of such actions, if it ever came to happen?"_

"I am." he whispered.

" _Regardless of how badly it may affect you? Accepting the fact that death could be what is waiting for you at the end of such a path?"_

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, I want them to be safe." Oliver said as he looked down at Chloe once again.

" _Then be blessed Oliver Queen because you, are a true hero. May you be successful in your quest for justice and rightfulness."_

"Will we ever meet?" The voice was silent for a few moments before speaking up again.

" _Our paths will cross very soon."_

"How can I recognize you?"

" _When the time is right, You and I will speak volumes in silence among the deafening cries and pleas to the devil, then and only then, will I be able to say how honored I am by meeting you. Hang on to life, Oliver. Remember the past and when the time comes, you will be given another chance to see life smiling at you. Do not miss it, Oliver."_

The moment, the man's last words sounded in his head, Oliver's eyes closed and he fell in a deeply restful sleep.

* * *

"Ow!"

Zod ascended the stairs leading to the training room of the mansion. The grunts of the two men sparring in the ring echoed in the large room. Going inside, Zod saw Kal and Zaror fighting or rather dancing if you considered Zaror's aerial kicks as a form of art. Both combatants were too focused on each other that they hadn't seen him yet.

That let Zod some time to find out if his son was back at his highest. It's been a long time since Kal had stopped going in the arena, he needed to train if he wanted to win against the human. Zod didn't forget that Kal hadn't lost one match in the five years he had spent fighting prisoners. No one had defeated him and that was the reason he decided to stop fighting. It had become boring.

Then, when Zaror became the champion, he didn't come back because he was too busy seeking to satisfy his desires in women. Not that Zod could blame him, he often did the same. Plus, it had calmed Faora who had had become too fond of the boy for Zod's taste. She wasn't the same hardened woman he had married all these years ago, she had become softer, too soft. The main reason for that, he was sure, was Kal.

One loud crash coming from the ring pulled Zod out of his thought. As he looked up, he saw Zaror on the floor holding his side with Kal towering over him, a smug grin on his face. "Guess I got my title back!" the young kryptonian said excitedly.

Zaror chuckled and stood up with Kal's help. "You are the champion, Kal."

None of the two men noticed Zod leaving the room quietly and even less the satisfied smirk on his face. The human did not stand a chance.

* * *

The morning was going calmly for the moment but Oliver could see that everyone was more cautious and silent than usual. The event of last night was still in everyone's mind even if nobody had brought up the subject yet. At least, he was glad was Chloe did not seem so affected and he too, was feeling strangely relaxed.

The conversation he had had with someone -or maybe himself- in his head was still there but for now, he felt like he shouldn't dwell on it. A few hours earlier, when he woke up, the plan was already made in his head. He didn't have to rethink about it because it was all memorized. And this one was going to work, he was sure of that.

His friends didn't know about it but they were all going to be fine. Right now, Bruce, Victor and Dinah were talking with Condo and his friends and he couldn't help noticing the nervous glances they sent over their shoulders from time to time just to check if someone was planning something bad for them.

In another corner of the room was Chloe quietly speaking with Tess and Hal who were still recovering fine. Those two had been inseparable ever since Tess woke up from her 'coma' a few hours earlier. At least something good happened in this hole.

He saw Tess frown and look worried as Chloe seemed to try to reassure her. Without even realizing it, his curiosity made him step towards them until they noticed him standing there.

"Hey" Chloe sent a half smile in his direction that he returned. Things were still a bit awkward between them but he knew that they were progressing and it couldn't make him happier.

"Hey yourself." he said softly. "I.. was just checking up on you two." his words were meant to be for Tess and Hal but he kept staring at Chloe, making Tess arch an eyebrow.

"We're good. Thanks." she said as Oliver finally turned his head to look at them.

"Hal?"

The man in question shifted uncomfortably before looking up and sending an awkward smile in his direction. "Ah you know, It's just some scars now.." he lied. "That's just going to be a bad memory from now on."

"Good, that's good." Oliver said even thought he knew that his friends weren't telling him the whole truth. Worse, he felt like Chloe was hiding something from him too. Trying to ignore the hurt he felt, Oliver cleared his throat nervously, barely suppressing the urge to scratch his neck. "uh I gotta check on the others... See you." He told them while gesturing awkwardly to the other side of the room before leaving.

Tess watched him go for a moment before quickly turning her attention on her best friend. "What the hell was that Chloe?" she demanded.

The blonde looked down on the ground, her hands playing with a twig of something she found there to keep herself occupied.

"He doesn't know..." she said quietly.

Tess opened and closed her mouth, trying to understand why her best friend was hiding that fact from him but came up with nothing. "He has to know, that thing is important!"

Chloe looked up quickly, meeting her eyes. "No!" she shook her head. "Now is not a good time for that."

"Why is that?" Hal asked, taking part in the conversation.

"It will only make him worried for nothing," she looked at him. "He has already so much on his mind." she said softly.

"Nothing?" Tess gasped. "Chloe, that thing is far from being just 'nothing'!"

"But I don't know what that light is!" Her voice raised a little. "How can I answer his questions if I don't know the answers myself?"

"You said, it was a shield." Hal commented though it was more a question than a statement. Chloe met his gaze and he could see her uncertainty in her eyes.

"What if it is something dangerous? It could hurt him, _I_ could hurt him." she whispered and looked down again.

Tess's face softened and she let go of Hal's hand before moving to hug the petite blonde. "It's okay, Chloe." she told her reassuringly. "We'll say nothing. But you'll have to tell him when you're ready!" She felt her nod but it wasn't enough for Tess. Pulling back, she looked into her eyes. "Promise?"

Chloe bit her lip before reluctantly nodding again. "I promise."

"Good."

* * *

Hours were passing by quickly and Bruce realized that it was way past noon judging by the position of the sun in the sky. Every second that ticked by were pulling them closer to the inevitable outcome that all the prison was rumoring about: The showdown between Ollie and Kal.

Worry filled him even though he knew that Oliver was not a newcomer when it came to fighting but this time was different. It wasn't anyone whom his friend was going to fight, it was Kal. The alien was surely much more of an opponent than the beast Oliver had fought when they arrived.

For a moment, Bruce thought that his 'brother' didn't know about the fight but he knew better than that. The entire prison was talking about it and the news spread fast from cell to cell in here. There was no way Oliver didn't know about it. He looked calm and in control but he knew that deep down, the other man was apprehensive, even afraid, probably. Which man wouldn't be afraid in this situation?

Finally finding the quiet room Oliver was in, he found him stretching. One more sign that told him that Oliver knew what was coming and he was preparing himself for it.

"Hey Brucey!"

His light greeting made him raise his eyebrows. If Oliver used the nickname he knew he hated, then the situation may not be this desperate. Actually Oliver was relaxed and joking so maybe he was just overreacting.

"You're gonna keep staring at me all day?" Oliver smirked.

"Sorry." Bruce replied and gave him a sheepish grin. "I was just wondering how you could be so calm and accepting about it?"

Oliver looked at him and sighed. "What would be the point of being terrorized of something you can't run away from?" he asked gravely and Bruce felt another wave of worry reinforcing his first doubts. Maybe he wasn't overreacting after all.

"There must be something," he said with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Something we can do to save you from this-"

"No."

Oliver's solemn tone made him stop abruptly. He looked at his friend as if he had grown a second head while the blonde man returned him a look of determination and resolution.

"There is no escape for me out of this."

The older man stood rooted at his spot shocked for a few moments. The fact that Oliver knew he was running towards his death and seemed so accepting was beyond him.

Seeing that his friend was too stunned to say something else, Oliver moved forward and hugged him tightly, knowing it was probably the last time he would see him. After a few moments of silence, Oliver whispered something to him.

" _Take care of her, for me."_

Pulling back, Bruce didn't know what to think of it and could only nod. His heart clenching as he finally understood what this meant.

" _Step back! Step back from the door!"_ the shouts came from the other end of the cell where the entry was. Reality caught up on the two of them at the meaning of this situation. This was it, the guards were here to lead Oliver to the arena.

The two men looked at each other again, both knowing the importance of the moment, there weren't any more words needed. Oliver smiled at him before nodding and walking towards the entry room.

* * *

"There he is! Show me your hands, pretty boy!" The guard sneered while agitating a pair of handcuffs to him.

All of them were here, behind him and the impatient words from the guards made him take his time just to enrage them one last time. Instead of obeying, he turned around, his eyes taking in all the friendly faces that he knew were supporting him. AC, Bruce, Dinah, Victor, Hal and Tess. Even Condo and his friends were here. These were the faces he was going to save. He only wished Bart could have been part of them. Finally, his eyes settled over the little blonde in front of them who instinctively took a step forward.

Quickly walking towards her to close the distance between them, he brought his hands to hold her face delicately and kissed her without hesitation. The moment his lips touched hers, all thoughts flew from his head and it was just the two of them, together, without any danger, any fighter, any Zod or Kal, just _them_.

The kiss was passionate and held a touch of desperation and frustration in it but none of them decided to think about it. It was all about savoring the moment that was probably their last together.

They parted only when air became necessary and both ignored the comments of the guards as they looked into each other's eyes. Oliver wanted to tell her the three little words he had wanted to say for a while now but he figured it would only make it harder for her when he was gone so he decided to show her instead.

Placing two more tender kisses on her lips, he gave her one last intense gaze before reluctantly pulling out of her embrace and walking towards the guards.

 _Finally!_ One of them said but he didn't hear it, all he could think about was _her_ and he knew he was never going to forget their kiss. Their _first_ kiss.

* * *

"Fight! Fight! Fight"

The inexhaustible blood-lusted the crowd seemed even more excited to see this fight happen than all of the others and there was a simple reason for it. It featured the perfect outsider in the person of that rebel human against the undisputed champion of the arena for years, also being a member of the royal family: the great Kal.

Zod couldn't be more impatient to see this fight happen too. He was more than confident in his son's abilities. He had no reason at all to doubt his success because tonight, at the end of the fight, Kal would truly become the next Zod.

Behind the gates leading inside the arena stood Oliver only clad in a fighting sport-short, mentally preparing himself for the fight. The doors would open in a few seconds and now the overall calm attitude he had had until then was gone. He could feel his heartbeat speeding up as the adrenaline flowed in anticipation in his veins. Was he going to win? He doubted it but he had to buy his friends more time so he would fight until his last breath to ensure their safety. It was the only way he could do that and he accepted it.

The doors squealed right as the crowd roared in delight, taking the scale of their cries even higher. "Go!" said one of the guards as he was pushed forward, meeting the reddish light of the sun and feeling the cheers, the booing and other noises overwhelming him.

Standing upright, unwilling to show any sign of weakness to his opponent who was already inside, a blue ring on his finger. The kryptonian watched him with a wicked smirk on his face Oliver wanted to punch away. After all he had done, to him, to his friends, to _Chloe_. How could he stand there and _smirk_ at him? What kind of monster was he?

Kal didn't think about it twice and walked towards him, never once breaking eye contact with Oliver who mimicked his actions and stepped forward too, feeling like every step he took led him closer to his goal.

The two men stopped, eying each other with attention, both ready to jump forward and start the fight at any moment. Oliver could feel sweat already running down his face as seconds felt like hours, the crowd sounding far away, he focused his entire mind on the fight and on his adversary who hadn't made a move yet.

The crowd became abruptly dead silent as everyone held their breath when Oliver and Kal adopted fighter stances, watching which one was going to start the inevitable combat that everyone in here had dreamt about.

Suddenly, Oliver's fist punched Kal's face on its side with a speed no one had ever seen. The cheers came back louder than before as Oliver kept sending flying punches in the kryptonian's direction making him stumble backward every-time he was hit. For a moment, Kal looked tolled, as if he was going to be knocked down by the force of the human's blows. Oliver didn't stop for a second the rain of jabs and punches that landed on the other man, he took out his anger that he had bottled inside of him, unwilling to him a chance to fight back.

Right when Oliver right fist was going to deliver the final blow, Kal's hand shot out, grabbing the fist, using his other hand to bend his arm at the elbow in a strong arm-lock that forced the human to kneel down as Kal continued to tighten his limb. The pain was quickly replaced by another one when Kal's knee connected with his jaw. Letting out a surprised grunt, Oliver fell on the ground, the kryptonian hovering over him.

Kal brought a hand up to his face, brushing away the blood which -much to his annoyance- seemed to have poured out much more than he would want. That angered him even more. Not giving Oliver a chance to stand up, he mercilessly kicked his powerless frame on the ground. The human cried out in pain several times, crawling away from him.

Laboriously standing up, Oliver let out a harsh breath that made him hurt even more.

The crowd never stopped cheering for them, erupting with excitation at each blow but the two men had completely forgotten about them at this point.

"You've got some good moves, Queen." Kal exhaled loudly, and Oliver noticed with slight relief than the other man looked at least affected by his previous attack. "You're fast and agile but that won't save you!"

The alien pushed him backward forcefully. Oliver grunted again at the feel of the hard pillar hitting his sore back. The next second Kal was literally delivering bombs on his abdomen, pushing the resistance of his abs to their maximum and more. After a few moment, Oliver was beginning to feel dizzy and he didn't know how much punches he had already taken but Kal didn't show any sign indicating the he was going to stop anytime soon. His muscles were strong but couldn't keep up with the endless hits that landed on them and Oliver was beginning to fear for his internal organs.

"You like that? You like that?!" The kryptonian repeated, ending his attack before grabbing the blond man's head, crashing it on the pillar several times before grabbing him and throwing him on the other side with all the force he could muster without his powers.

Oliver landed several feet away with a loud thud. A blurry veil appeared before his eyes, his ears were ringing with the exceptionally loud crowd and the strong sound of his heartbeat. Having lost the sense of his surrounding, he lay there, hurt and weak on the sand of the arena. Part of the crowd was shouting at him to get up while the others chanted for Kal to kill him. Oliver wondered where his friends were and why they didn't say anything. Using the rest of his strength, he rolled over until he was able to see behind him. Finding the place where his friends should be with his eyes, Oliver noticed his friends standing there but they weren't looking at him. Squinting his eyes further, Oliver finally saw the tall black man that stood before them. His eyes found his and suddenly, the words Oliver had heard the other night made sense.

_'When the time is right, You and I will speak volumes in silence among the deafening cries and pleas to the devil, then and only then, will I be able to say how honored I am by meeting you.'_

Oliver maintained his gaze, recognizing the man even thought he had never seen him before in his entire life.

"J'onn..." he whispered.

" _I am here Oliver, as promised."_ His lips didn't move but he knew that J'onn was talking to him. _"Now get up, get up my friend. Remember the past. The past will save you. Your friends are going to be safe, you have my word."_

Oliver could only nod, his chest hurting with each breath he took. A flash of understanding crossed his face as the Martian's words finally found a meaning in his head.

At the other end of the arena, J'onn smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

" _You know how to beat him, now."_ his voice continued. _"Good luck Oliver and remember, I'll come back for you."_

With those words, J'onn and all his friends disappeared in the blink of an eye, only leaving a red trail behind them that faded quickly.

Oliver blinked and he realized with surprise that Kal was still several feet behind him at the same spot he had been before his conversation with J'onn. He came to the realization that their interaction had only lasted a few seconds. This martian was damn good, Oliver smirked slightly and chuckled before gasping sharply as he felt once again the pain.

A flash blinded him for a few seconds and Oliver closed his eyes, not understanding what was happening.

_-Flashback-_

" _You've got to focus Oliver." Vordigan, his mentor told him. "Pain is just a message your body send to your brain. It can be overcome."_

" _How?" a younger version of Oliver clad in an archer tunic asked._

" _Forget it." The older man said simply. "You forget the pain, you forget what's holding you down."_

_Oliver looked at him as if he was crazy. "That's impossible!"_

" _Everything is possible, Oliver!" Vordigan laughed. "You just have to take full control of your body!"_

_-End of Flashback-_

As the lesson that Vordigan taught him came back into his mind, Oliver felt his own pain fade. His muscles felt revitalized, stronger and twitching in anticipation. "Remember the past." Oliver mumbled to himself before smiling slightly. "Thank you J'onn."

Slowly standing up, Oliver met Kal's eyes who was unable to hide the surprise on his face at seeing the human recover so quickly from such a brutal attack. He spent a few more moments staring at the other and when he felt that he had found back full control over his body, Oliver leaped forward with agility.

Kal reacted quickly and sent a right hook in the direction of his head but Oliver didn't stop it. He shifted the side of his head in its direction and felt the blow connect with his head. It hurt but not as much as Kal's hand was hurting now.

Using his opponent's pain to his advantage, Oliver locked the kryptonian's head with his two hands, forcing it down before hitting it with his knee. Hearing his pained cries didn't stop him, he wouldn't give him the mercy that Kal wouldn't even think about according him. Oliver kept hitting him until he felt the other man unstable on feet. Pulling back, The archer sent the strongest punch he could manage right in his face but Kal didn't fall. He was too strong to be knocked out that way.

_-Flashback-_

" _One thing you have to know." his mentor told him. "An archer cannot rely on his bow and arrows forever, he has to know how to fight every opponent he encounters."_

_Oliver was captivated and didn't say anything, he just listened to the experimented man. "Martial-Arts are the most effective solution to take everyone you want down with only your body as a weapon."_

" _That's a lot of training!"_

_Vordigan smirked. "Indeed, it is! Let's start now!"_

_-Second Flashback-_

" _Oliver keep in mind that no matter how strong your adversary is, he is just a man." He paused. "And a man is like a pyramid upside-down. You take his legs, you take him down."_

_-End of Flashback-_

The second the flashback was gone from his mind, Oliver's leg kicked the kryptonian who fell, hitting the ground harshly. Getting down himself, Oliver grabbed his leg, and locked his with his own.

Everyone on the royal stage stood up, unable to hide their surprise at the quick reversal of situation and their fear at seeing one of them in this dangerous position.

" _Take my leg on your shoulder." Oliver did as Vordigan told him. "Now lock it with your head and press it."-_

As instructed by his mentor, Oliver repeated the same actions he had been taught to do all those years ago. Kal's leg was locked between his shoulder and his head as he began to press on the top of his knee. Kal tried to struggle free and pull at Oliver's legs that maintained his body on the ground be he failed.

_Press it!_

The pressure on Kal's knee intensified and he began to groan in pain but Oliver didn't loosen his grip.

_Press it harder, Oliver!_

The leg was extended at its maximum and Kal's pain escalated further, unable to stop his cries as a result of Oliver's actions. "I'll kill you!" he said in vain anger.

_Break it!_

Oliver used all his strength on the kryptonian's knee and pressed it with determination in a strong and quick push. The bones broke.

Kal's yell of pain echoed through the entire arena, people winced at the very loud scream that didn't even reflect the amount of pain Kal was feeling as his leg broke in two at the knee.

Seconds of silence followed during which Oliver stood up, leaving Kal at his own deserved predicament and looked over the crowd. His eyes once again fell on the spot where his friends should have been. He smiled as he saw the place empty, knowing that wherever they were, they were all safe.

The stunned silence was eventually broken as first, one man chanted for the death of Kal, then two, then a dozen. Finally taking over, the entire crowd roared again for Oliver.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

As tempted as Oliver was to kill him, he knew he wouldn't do it because that wasn't who he was. Unlike the kryptonians, he wasn't a murderer. The moment of victory was short-lived as the voice of one of the guard sounded.

"Call back-up! There's been an evasion!"

A dozen of men entered the arena and went for Oliver, beating him up. He felt a strong blow to the back of his head and his entire world went black.

 


	13. Crushed

_One month later..._

It was hard to believe that he was hidden in a secret room right under the prison district, just a few feet underneath the surface. Oliver remembered his days in this hellish prison, it was uncomfortable, dangerous, scary but also and most of all, it was noisy. There were always constant cries and few were the nights where silence had actually settled over them.

Yet, one month later, he found himself in this completely silent room where, among the pitch blackness of the huge space, the only noise was his own labored breathing. With only the nothingness, the emptiness and silence of the room as reminders of his own solitude. He was alone in this horrific trial that could easily be assimilated to a nightmare. Only, there was no waking up from this, it was _real_. He had chosen this and even if nothing could have prepared him for what he had undergone, Oliver didn't regret his decision.

He had had to make a choice, either seeing his friends die one by one with him being the bystander unable to help them or, him sacrificing himself to save them, his friends, his _family_. That was a decision he would make over and over again no matter the consequences if he had to take it again. Oliver was not worried about them, they were strong, they would find a way to take Zod down and save the prisoners even if he wasn't there. They would grieve him, just like they did for Bart he was sure but in the end, they were going to be heroes.

He couldn't help himself wondering how Chloe was doing, was she sad? afraid? broken? The thought of never being able to see her again tugged at his heart painfully, it was much more striking than Zod's whiplashes or Alia's fire fetish. At least, Chloe would have Bruce taking care of her just like he promised him, she was not alone and Oliver could only wish her happiness even if he wasn't the one to give it to her...

He coughed, hard enough to shake his entire body. His throat hurt, his legs and arms felt sore and he was sure he was feeling much more than just lightheaded. That was what happened when you were hanging from a cellar, tied up to your feet and your head hovering close to the ground. He had been forced into that position for so long, Oliver could easily swear it's been hours.

Worse, the blood had rushed down into his head, drowning his brain to the point he felt like throwing up every minute and opening his eyes hurt like hell. The thing was that Zod refused to allow him any kind of pity. That was the reason that in addition, there was a strong and bright light flashing a dozen times a second right in his face. Even with his eyes closed, Oliver could see the flashes and it made his head pound even more.

The lack of sleep, the position he was in and the tortures he had been through would have killed him in a matter of days if it wasn't for the serum they had injected him right before he had been lead here. Ah! kryptonian science, only the best of the best to make people suffer.

Suddenly, the door squeaked open, breaking the silence and indicating to Oliver that someone was there, rest time was over. He had been right, it must have been hours already since his last torture at the hands of Alia. His heartbeat picked up as fear filled him but as ever, he refused to let it show.

Footsteps were closing in on him, the visitor walking steadily towards him. Oliver did his best to calm down and control his breathing when the footsteps stopped abruptly, silence returning but the presence of the person was there.

He forced his thoughts to follow again the tricks he had learned from Vordigan about controlling pain. It had helped him a lot for the past month but unfortunately, there was only so much pain the body can take and there was a point Oliver couldn't ignore it and had to scream. It had happened _everyday_ for four weeks.

He let out a surprised cry as he felt the chain tying him to the cellar going loose, his entire body crashing on the ground painfully. He gasped but stopped himself from crying out when he felt his burnt skin hit the cold floor and the blood finally flowing back to his legs which he didn't feel anymore. When he looked down at them, they had lost that warm color that once showed off how much alive he was. Now, they looked white and purple and were going to be so until all the blood got back in them. That was going to take minutes, he knew that, it happened _everyday_.

The sound of a deep and grave laugh echoed through the room, surprising him. It was a man and it wasn't Zod. The latter was too angry and pissed off at him to even have fun torturing him. With him it was all about punishment and unleashing his anger on him. He kept repeating Oliver that he had ruined twenty years of work he had done on Kal. The human didn't fully understand what Zod meant but he figured that he was talking about the education Kal had been through to try and become like his father, a sadistic and merciless dictator.

 _Well, he did succeed anyway..._ Oliver thought bitterly as he wiggled on the ground, trying to roll his tired body to see who the man was.

"Look at you, Queen!" The man spoke excitedly. "The hero looks more like a piece of beaten meat than anything else, right now!"

Oliver's breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening as he recognized the man to whom the voice belonged. "Kal."

"That's right." The kryptonian knelt to his level before grabbing his hair painfully. "It's me, and I'm gonna make you wish you didn't have the boldness to break my leg last time we met." His hand tightened in his hair and he shook the human's head violently as anger washed over him. "It took me some time but here I am feeling good as new! Maybe I should thank you for this!"

Oliver's stomach turned over and he felt a wave of dizziness building inside when Kal shook his head making it pound even more. Taking a deep breath to fight the urge of emptying the content of his stomach, he forced himself to look into the other man's eyes before speaking up. "Hearing you cry as I broke your leg was the best thing that happened in my life!" A mirthless laugh escaped him, he knew that it was only going to fuel his anger even more but he couldn't stop himself.

Kal's jaw clenched and he felt his temples tighten in pure rage at the human's nerves. His fist landed on the human's stomach several times, making him cry out in pain. His laugh stopped, replaced by pained coughs and labored breaths but he spoke again. "I can only imagine..." he coughed blood on the floor. "You on your knees, begging for Zod's forgiveness.." Oliver's laugh shook his entire body, making him gasp in pain again. "Is that what happened?"

Kal swore he felt a vein in his brain that was about to explode as the rage he had felt earlier multiply at the human's words and began to consume him. _That was exactly what had happened._

Not long after the fight, Kal had been transported to the family's lab where the scientists had replaced his legs and treated him for weeks until the bones and muscles where strong enough to heal themselves when Kal removed his blue kryptonite ring. If he had taken it off earlier, his leg would have never healed and would have to be cut. Fortunately for him, it went well and he had fully recovered. Well, _almost_ fully recovered. He could use his leg again but it was weaker and there was always this ache in his knee that wasn't painful but could become extremely irritating. As soon as he was back on his feet, he went to see his parents to ask them to forgive him for failing them and crushing their hopes. His mother had understood and forgiven him right away but it had taken a lot more work to win Zod's good graces back and even now, Kal knew things were not as they had been before the fight.

"I'll show you how it happened!" Kal shouted in his ear before punching him again and standing up. He moved around the human's sprawled form on the ground and then, grabbed his leg before punching the knee using his super-strength.

Oliver's scream engulfed the entire room and he felt his eyes burn at the strong pain but fought as hard as he could to try not to let his tears fall.

"Feels good?" Kal asked as he twisted the human's broken leg, enjoying his gasps and whimpers as he did. "Do not cry for mommy already, I'm just getting started." he said darkly.

* * *

Oliver felt dizzy and nauseous as he came back to consciousness again. The last fifteen minutes had been the worst of his entire life. Kal had surpassed his father's level of sadism by far and he didn't look like he was finished with him. The kryptonian had broken his two legs, making him scream until his throat burnt. Then, he had proceeded to kick him until he couldn't take anymore and blacked out. That had happened three times already and Oliver saw Kal already there, looking ready for a fourth round.

"You didn't have enough satisfaction already? You just some wicked sadist, Kal!" Oliver's raspy voice sounded more like a whisper than anything. He groaned loudly as he felt swift kick to his back.

"I told you, Oliver. I'm not done with you, not by a long shot." Kal began to kick him again, every time his foot hit him, the smirk on his lips widened.

"Well, well..." A strong voice coming from the door echoed through the room, surprising both men. "Isn't there a sweet reunion going on here?"

Kal turned round and a flash of surprise crossed his face as he saw Zod moving toward them, his lips curved into a dangerous grin. He gulped, trying to regain his composure. "Father..."

"Do you mind if I join you my son?" Zod asked coolly but there was this glint in his eyes that Kal had seen so many times in the past when he did something to make his father proud. Maybe it wasn't too late to get Zod to trust his hopes with him again.

Feeling like his breath was knocked out of his lungs, Kal only nodded. That was all that Zod needed , he stepped forward and looked down at Oliver's battered body. "Looks like you did quite a job helping our dear friend here feeling a bit better, Kal." he sneered.

Oliver's breath came shorter and louder, making the two men look down at him. "Fuck you, both!" he whispered weakly but fully meaning the words.

Kal scowled at him and went to hit him again but Zod laughed and stopped his son. "Oh Oliver, if only you knew how ironic it is of you to say that." The kryptonian laughed again before calming himself down but amusement was still on his face. He ignored the strange look Kal was giving him and went on. "That's exactly what she said when we captured her again along with the others."

Oliver's brows raised involuntary and he felt a sense of dread filling him, not quite sure he was going to like where this was heading but unable to stop himself, he asked. "She, who?"

Zod maintained his gaze, his sickening smirk only widened when he saw the fear in his eyes. That was a first since he went to torture and all more the reason that Zod let the moment last as long as possible to enjoy the feeling of power he felt.

"Chloe." he said simply. "She's dead."

* * *

The young human's body was pinned to the wall of the room by several long metal nails buried deep into his flesh. The pain wasn't the thing that was making the tears fall from Oliver's eyes. He had lost all sensation in his body several minutes ago, replaced by the numbness that appeared the moment Zod said Chloe was dead.

Of course at the beginning he thought it was a lie but then, Zod began to describe everything he had done to her, how he tortured her, how he raped her and finally, how he killed her. He had screamed his denial more than once and tried to attack Zod and Kal too but he had had no chance. That was until he saw the proof Zod had of what happened. _A cut finger_. Oliver had thrown up in disgust and horror as he recognized the small and delicate digit that Zod was waving excitedly in front of his face. There was no doubt of now, she really was dead.

"Oh look at that, Kal!" Zod cried triumphantly. "Have we broken the almighty Green Arrow? The hero who failed to save the damsel in distress?"

Both kryptonians laughed.

"I want to see her!" Oliver demanded through his tears.

"Oh I'm afraid that's not possible." Zod replied as Kal took a step forward.

"What's... left of her is in the cemetery now among all of your other friends, you are alone Green Arrow." The younger alien added, a smug grin marring his cold features.

Oliver heard their sickening laughter once again but it felt like he wasn't there. The numbness in his body intensified to the point he felt his vision blurry and his world turn as if he was going to fall unconscious once again. Looking around, he saw their retreating figures heading for the door, at last leaving him alone. That wasn't until he heard the loud sound of the door closing that he fully realized what was happening.

He was alone, all of them died.

What could have possibly gone wrong? Was there actually nothing that could stop these aliens?

He shook his head abruptly. They couldn't be dead, not them! Chloe, Bruce, AC, all of them, this couldn't be happening.

It was too much to take. Oliver had always prided himself to be strong but now, he only felt weak, incapable, _broken_.

The room fell still once again, the silence only perturbed by Oliver's pained noises as he cried for his friends. This was it, the end. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore.

"You're not alone, Ollie." someone said.

His head shot up at the voice. Seeking through the darkness in the room, he finally made out a silhouette standing several feet in front of him. His heart suddenly beating faster in his chest, the voice sounded extremely familiar to him.

"Who are you?" he asked, not even recognizing the sound of his own voice.

"It's me, dude." The figure stepped forward until the only light of the room flashed the face of the young man. Oliver's eyes widened in shock, unable to say anything for several minutes. Not quite daring to hope, Oliver blinked a few times, half convinced that he was seeing things.

"Bart?"


	14. Out of the Ashes

_"Bart?"_

The teenager was standing in front of him looking a bit skinnier and more exhausted than the last time Oliver saw him but he could not be mistaken, his 'little brother' was alive.

Bart Allen was alive and standing just a few feet in front of him, it seemed almost too good to be true.

"What... Bart you're...?" Oliver swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. "How?"

"Look man," Bart glanced nervously at the closed door. "We don't have much time, I gotta get you out of here."

He took a step forward and tried not to cringe at the sight of the older man's body pinned to the wall by metal nails. What other kind of horrors did Oliver had had to go through, Bart didn't know. The only thing he was sure of was that his mentor would not survive another day in here, he had to get him out.

"No, I-" Oliver was interrupted when the door opened with its usual squeak, startling both men. He felt a rush of wind at his side and when he glanced back to the spot where Bart had been, there was nothing but air. The sound of footsteps walking in his direction made him look back at the door and he caught sight of Alia making her way towards him.

The kryptonian stopped when she spotted the state of the human before a wicked laugh escaped her. "That wasn't something I expected!" Her laugh shook her body once more. "Looks like they've both been busy with you! Now it's my turn." she added before scratching the burnt skin of his arm, enjoying the way his abused body tried to move away from the pain initiated by her touch only to be reminded that he was pinned to the wall.

"Now, shall we begin?" she whispered. Oliver looked straight into her eyes, feeling the panic bubbling inside of him when he saw her pupils turning yellow. The lasers were just about to shoot from her eyes when she suddenly made a surprised noised and fell to the ground, out. He blinked before looking back up and catching sight of Bart with a blue dagger in his hand.

The younger man breathed loudly, his arms shaking a little after realizing he had just knocked out with the back of his dagger the woman who almost killed him. Bart looked up, catching the other man's gaze for a moment, seeing the surprise there before he looked down at the inanimate body on the ground.

Oliver saw Bart angling the dagger towards her, his eyes wide as he lifted it in the air slowly, preparing for the blow. He should say something to make him stop but Oliver couldn't bring himself to stop him, wondering if killing her wasn't for the best especially after what she had done to Bart.

The younger human looked one more time at Oliver. The latter slowly nodded at him, both men understanding the motivations and the consequences of such an act. They knew that in this world, their moral code couldn't be applied, they had to adapt in order to prevail against the enemy.

Breaking eye contact, Bart allowed himself a few seconds to take a deep breath before finishing the job. The blade was propelled downward, only an inch away from the kryptonian's defenseless body when suddenly, the ground shook. Bart stumbled backward, the dagger falling on the ground with a clattering sound.

Oliver groaned in pain as he felt his body moving with the wall, the nails digging even more into his flesh.

When the ground felt still again, they both looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock and confusion. "What was that?" Bart asked, knowing that Oliver didn't know the answer to the question. Quickly jumping to his feet, Bart did not waste a second and moved close to the other man's body. Swallowing hard, his fingers wrapped around one of the metal nails and pulled it out.

Oliver's cry of pain was so loud it made Bart wince as he covered his ears. "I'm sorry.." he said, his voice strained with emotion.

"Bart..." Oliver took a short breath. "Get out of here."

Shock crossed the teenager's face at his mentor's request. "No." he shook his head.

"Look Bart, it's over for me..." his voice trailed off. "You have a chance to get out of here alive, do not waste your time with me."

"No, no!" Bart shook his head more rapidly this time. "We're going to leave this hell, together. You and me, just like old times." he added firmly.

"Bart..." Oliver began gently at the younger man's denial but was cut off.

"I'm sorry." he said once again. Oliver looked confused for a moment but did not have time to fully understand his intentions when he felt the back of Bart's dagger connecting with his temple. He let out a cry of pain, his world spinning for a moment before everything went black.

* * *

The first thing Oliver felt when he came to was the incredibly hot temperature all around him. It took him a few moments longer to get his vision back but it was still blurry and apparently what he was looking at was flashy since it hurt his eyes when he tried looking at it. His head was pounding dangerously and the numbness he had felt earlier was wearing off, he was beginning to feel the sandy soil under him rubbing against his open wounds.

_Sand? Where the hell was he?_

Then there was a voice. One single voice that was telling him to stay awake and listen to it. At first it sounded like it was far away and the ringing in his ears wasn't helping. When the dizziness finally went away, everything seemed to rush at him at the same time. The voice was loud and clear, easily recognizable as Bart's while his eyes clearly saw the danger in front of them.

 _Fire_.

The flames where high and all over, surrounding them in a deathly trap. There seemed to be no way out and the fire was quickly closing in on them. One or two minutes more and it would be the end for them.

"Ollie! Look at me!"

The teenager fell into sight. Oliver took a few seconds to check him, he appeared unharmed but looked desperate and scared. He coughed a few times, once again he spurted blood on the ground. _Not a good sign_ , he thought.

"I'm okay, Bart." he told him with as much confidence as he could manage.

"Oh good!" he replied, relief evident on his face. "I'm sorry I knocked you out but you were in too much pain and wouldn't let me move you and... and then this fire appeared out of nowhere, I don't know what to do!"

Oliver swallowed hard and tried to find the best words to calm his teammate's distress. Bart was babbling and that never happened usually, that meant the situation was truly desperate.

"Bart, listen.." he began but stopped abruptly when he felt his heart clench painfully and something obstructing his respiration. He tried to take in shallow breaths but failed, his lungs were beginning to burn and the pressure on his heart didn't stop.

Bart was already at his side, shouting him to breathe and to calm down while he felt panic himself. After a few horrendous moments, Oliver coughed more blood, feeling like he was emptying himself of his own sanguine fluid. Eventually, the pain at his heart faded away and Oliver took a desperate breathe that came, appeasing his lungs.

"You should have left without me Bart," he whispered to him without letting him the chance to tell him anything. "You still can, with your speed you can cross those flames without any problem."

"Are you crazy?" the teenager half shouted at him. "I'm not leaving you behind! Not now, not ever!"

His words would have warmed his heart under different circumstances but now, his stubbornness only made Bart lose precious seconds he could spend trying to save his own life.

"You're making a big mistake, Bart. Go!" He said with as much conviction as he could but his voice only sounded too weak to take him seriously.

"A terrible mistake, indeed." A male voice could be heard behind Bart's back.

Both men jumped at the sound, Bart moved sideways and Oliver could see the two kryptonians standing proudly in front of them, unaffected by the imposing fire that never ceased to rise. It took him only one second to understand their presence. An alarm must have gone off when Bart helped him escape and when they spotted them, they started the fire with their lasers. Now they came to get their preys back.

What frightened Oliver even more was that they weren't just two normal kryptonians goons, it was Basqat and Alia. Two people Oliver had butted heads with.

"So, will you surrender pacifically or shall we force ourselves to use violence?" Basqat asked as they both took a threatening step forward.

"I wouldn't say no to some fun." Alia said, her eyes narrowed in Bart's direction. "Especially after what you dared to do to me." She added, her voice laced with venom. "I thought I killed you."

Bart gulped but tried to sound as confident as possible in this situation. "So did I."

"So you know putting up a fight is pointless, you won't stand up against _us_." she said darkly, emphasizing the last part of her sentence.

"He won't." A voice answered from behind the two kryptonians, making them all glance behind their backs. "But I will."

There, several feet in front of them all, stood a woman clad from head to toe in some kind of mercenary outfit. She was rather small but looked extremely confident which somehow made her look imposing to them. Her hood and the khaki scarf covering most of her face made her unidentifiable.

Not even a second later, arrows and bullets began to fly. Oliver saw Basqat doubling over in pain as one arrow embedded itself in his chest. He noticed that these were not normal arrows, their tips were shining a bright green color.

The kryptonian grunted in pain, falling to his knees before hitting the ground, his body convulsing for a moment and then stopped. He was dead.

Alia, however was still standing and had apparently dodged all of the shots. She cast a glance at her deceased partner before narrowing her eyes at the other woman who was now holding a crossbow similar to the ones Oliver used as the Green Arrow. She pointed it at the Kryptonian's head. The latter screamed before launching herself at the attacker at full super-speed. The woman released the arrow.

Bart saw the scene playing in front of him and realized that the woman only had a chance on a million to hit Alia considering the latter had her super-speed to her advantage. Only, Bart was much faster.

Acting instinctively, He rushed forward, pushing their savior out of the way of Alia's lasers before grabbing the green tipped arrow and planting it in the alien's abdomen without a second thought. Alia stopped dead in her track when she felt the stabbing pain in her stomach, gasping, she looked up at Bart's face in surprise.

"You son of a..." she muttered before her knees gave away under her, falling down.

Their savior joined Bart at Alia's side, looking down at her with nothing but hate and disgust while the teenager's expression was completely blank.

Alia gasped and groaned in pain several times before taking one deep breath and addressing them. "You think Zod is going to let you get away with this?" she breathed. "He will never stop until you are all dead..." She said in her last breath, her head slowly turning to the side while life left her eyes. Alia was dead.

They both looked at her for a few moments before a loud groan followed by harsh breaths caught their attention.

"Oliver!" The woman exclaimed as she rushed to his side with a speed that could rival Bart's. Though, the latter did not waste anytime joining them, as she knelt down and cradled Oliver's head to her lap gently. That tenderness reminded Bart of someone.

"Ollie don't leave me!" she whispered brokenly as she caressed his face, her eyes teary.

"Who are you?" Oliver asked, his senses already beginning to fail him. He had to fight to keep his eyes open.

"It's me, Ollie." She replied, taking off her scarf from her face. Oliver found himself staring at a face he thought he would never see again, his eyes widened a little and he did his best to keep them from closing, wanting to spent as much time as he could staring at her. A small smile curving his lips.

"Chloe... you're alive." he murmured.

"I am alive and you're going to be fine Ollie." she told him as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Chloe!" he exclaimed, her name a breath on his lips as he clung to her. "I love you..." He whispered before closing his eyes.

"Ollie, no! Don't tell me that! Not like that, not now!" she said as she frantically shook him, trying to wake him up. When she saw that her actions were futile, she dropped her forehead on his, sobbing until she didn't have anymore tears to shed, her body shaking with sorrow.

It felt like time had stopped and it didn't matter to her that the flames were getting dangerously close to them because if he was to die then, she would die with him.

A hand gently, almost hesitantly landed on her shoulder, making her glance behind. She had forgotten all about her teammates that were hidden behind the fire when she had confronted Basqat and Alia.

They were now circling the prone and lifeless figure of Oliver with Chloe and Bart knelt at his side. The hand on her shoulder was Victor's and she could see the pain and compassion in his eyes but also the determination and anger behind it. He nodded at her and she knew they had to finish the mission but now Oliver was gone and Chloe was lost knowing she had failed him. She felt somewhat more tired all of a sudden but blamed it on her emotions.

"Wait!" Bart exclaimed as his hand was on Oliver's neck. "He's alive! There's a pulse."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words and she felt a warm sensation in her stomach: hope. She quickly touched his neck herself and relief washed over her as she felt it, weak and unsteady but it was there. Oliver was still alive.

Not willing to waste anytime when Oliver's life was at stake, Chloe immediately jumped into action. "Vic, carry him to the base." she ordered before looking over the others. "Dinah, you're our best shot at protecting him." she said, referring to her super-cry. "You follow Vic and assure their protection, take my jeep. It's the fastest." she added.

Victor and Dinah nodded and agreed, he carefully scooped up Oliver's body and walked away in the direction of their vehicles, Dinah hot on his heels while she looked around carefully. They both jumped quickly to cross the fire and ran away.

Chloe turned to Bart, only now realizing that the latter wasn't dead. "Bart, go with them." she ordered. "Don't protest, you're in no condition to help us!" she added when he opened his mouth before quickly grabbing him in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're alive." she whispered to him.

The teenager managed a faint smile and waved before taking off. Chloe sighed before turning to the last teammates who remained with her: Tess and Hal.

"He's going to be okay." Tess reassured her with a slight smile.

"I can only hope so." Chloe replied, wiping her tears away before regaining her composure. "Let's move before we get trapped in this fire."

"Sure thing, boss." Hal answered lightly, hoping to cheer up the mood of both women.

It worked a bit as their cracked slight smiles at his antics. "We've got to buy Bruce and AC as much time as we can so I propose we get back to the vehicles to re-ammo and then we set up a covering fire." Chloe proposed.

"Sounds good."

"Let's do this." Hal said.

* * *

The two humans moved stealthily inside the prison district, they had spent the last half hour breaking through the countless fences and walls of this part of the city and had to kill two guards and knock out a dozen of them. Taking a life wasn't a memory they will cherish but it had been either them or the guards. In a desperate situation you had to find desperate solutions.

"Look!" AC whispered even through they both knew most of the guards had rushed towards the explosions they had set up as a distraction at the other end of the city. "We're here!" He pointed at the sign indicating that behind the closed door was the section D51.

Bruce nodded. "You're up, man." he told his friend.

"Give me one second." AC replied. He took a long sip of the bottle of water he carried with him. He felt his strength intensify as the water pooled down his throat and entered every fiber of his being. Using his momentary force at his advantage, AC broke the lock of the door with a single hand. "Here you go." He grinned smugly.

"You know you make one amazing barracuda, Flipper!" Bruce teased as he moved inside the section that was once _theirs_.

The blond man snorted. "We'll see about the fish jokes when I find out your dirtiest secrets." He replied playfully.

Bruce smirked. "You'd have to be very patient."

"Oh I can be, you'll see that." He patted the billionaire on the back.

"Until you run out of water." The other man bantered back.

"Man..." AC complained but stopped when his partner shushed him. Immediately going into full alert mode, he scanned their surroundings. "Did you see something?" he whispered.

After a few moments where the two men stayed utterly still, Bruce shook his head. "No, I just thought I saw something moving over there but it's probably just the lack of sleep."

"Okay," AC nodded. "Let's just stay silent and keep the jokes and all for later. When the mission's over I'm going to harass you until I know all about you." He grinned.

Bruce smirked again and nodded in agreement -to the first part of his friend's statement at least- and then began to walk farther inside, passing by the countless cells of the section. "We're almost there."

He heard AC make an approving noise and kept going while placing his full attention on listening to any sound that might tell them if they were in danger. He heard none and that was a good sign, he only hoped that would last.

They spent several minutes walking down the path as silently as they could, they could see the prisoners inside the cells that passed by who were watching them curiously. They had to sign to stay silent at them when some prisoners started asking them to open their doors so they could be free. It was killing them that they could not help them at the moment. The time when all of them could be free would come but right now, they had a specific cell to break open.

Eventually, they spotted the one they wanted, the cell _444_. Bruce gestured at his friend to break it open and the latter nodded. Once again taking a sip of water before kicking the fence open. It clattered again the wall and they hoped they hadn't alerted any guards.

Not even five seconds later, Condo, followed by three of his friends rushed in the entry room of their cell. Their eyes widening and their expressions turning from nervous to surprised to complete shock. For a minute, no one said anything, the aliens only looked at them with their jaws dropped open until Condo seemed to shake himself out of his trance and spoke up quietly.

"We thought you were dead." He told them worriedly. "There were a few rumors about your escape but then, the word was spread that you had all been killed."

"Yeah well.." AC began uncomfortably. "As you can see we're doing pretty well right now." He smiled tentatively.

Condo only nodded but stayed silent.

"We don't have much time." Bruce said anxiously. "We're gonna get you out. Get all your people over here and we'll show you the way, but hurry!" he added urgently.

The aliens didn't have to be told twice, they ran back inside and not even two minutes later, the thirteen people of the cell were walking out of their cage.

It took them almost twice as long to get out of the entire district than entering. Breaking fifteen people out of a prison monitored by super-powered aliens was not an easy thing but until then, they were doing pretty well.

At least, that was until the district alarms went off, signaling to every kryptonians of the planet that there was an evasion in progress. Already feeling the fear bubbling inside of them, both humans decided to act quickly.

"AC guide them to the vehicles, Chloe and Tess should be here to help you with the extraction, move now!" He pressed when he saw his friend hesitate.

"Wait what are you doing?" AC asked knowing he was not going to like his partner's answer.

"I'm going to slow them down." Bruce replied darkly as he cocked his semi-automatic weapon and prayed that the krytonite bullets would be enough.

"That's crazy!"

The older man glanced over his shoulder at his friend's words. "Go, I'll see you in two minutes." He moved away before glancing back at AC. "What are you still doing here? GO!" he shouted, seemingly forcing him into action. The other human disappeared into the tunnel, followed by the aliens they had just liberated. Bruce sighed and prepared himself for an immediate attack.

He didn't have to wait for long, the soldiers appeared right in front of him by dozens. His finger pressed the trigger without hesitation and the weapon spat the deathly projectiles from the magazine to the target's bodies. Spraying bullets all over the krytonians, Bruce was reminded of the horror of his actions. He hated firearms for a very personal reason but right now, he had no other choice but to kill.

It wasn't long before his machine-gun clicked and no more bullet was shot. Bruce glanced at it and then back at the crowd of aliens, he couldn't help the feeling of dread filling him.

 _Empty_ , he thought horrified. Dropping the weapon down, he reached at his belt where two handguns sat but the aliens where faster. Right when the two weapons were out of their holsters, Bruce felt a jab hitting his torso, forcing him flying several feet back. The guns escaped his hands and fell to the ground with a clattering sound.

The strong figures of his attackers towered over him and he could see that there was only four of them now and two where injured. "I'll kill you, fucking human!" One of them shouted and two of them grabbed his arms, pulling him up as the third one that Bruce recognized as Coats began to punch him relentlessly. He groaned in pain with each blow, unable to get himself out of the other men's grip.

Right when he thought it was his end, the kryptonian to his right cried out in pain as he heard the sound of a weapon being fired. The next second, two other aliens were hit and fell down, leaving only Coats as a threat. The alien turned around and Bruce could see Condo standing there with one of his guns in his hand.

Time stilled for a second as Bruce quickly analyzed the situation, realizing now that the effect surprise was down, Condo could not hit Coats with his speed.

"You think you can kill me too?" The kryptonian yelled at Condo.

"You've done too much atrocities, even if I perish in this battle, I know that the second Krypton's end is close." Condo replied, his tone firm and set. Both men's eyes narrowed before Condo shot the kryptonian with the gun while the latter roared in rage and rushed forward, dodging the bullets and grabbing the other alien.

"Die!" he yelled before shooting his lasers.

Bruce heard Condo's scream of pain as his face was burned by the kryptonian and did not waste anytime, he leaped forward, grabbed the second gun and shot him right in his head. Coats fell down, dead.

Bruce rushed toward Condo's form, his face was horribly burnt to the point that he was unrecognizable. His heart clenched as guilt washed over him. "I'm sorry..." he murmured to the dying alien.

Condo's shallow breaths came shorter and his hand gripped Bruce's in one last attempt to show him his conviction. He grunted before speaking. "Zod's reign of terror will be over soon, I'm counting on you to make that happen." He whispered back through the pain. "Tell your friends I'm sorry I won't be here to fight with them from now on, and..." he groaned and breathed hard. "Tell Oliver that if he hadn't asked Chloe out already, I'll come back and kick his ass." He chuckled faintly.

Bruce did too but he mostly felt the tears that slipped down his cheeks. "I will." he promised. "Thank you, Condo. You've been the best friend we could have asked for." He whispered to him as the other man's life left him, Condo's body fell back silently and Bruce passed a hand over the burnt skin of his face, closing his eye lids for the last time. He didn't know how much time he stood there watching his grotesquely disfigured face but it was long enough for other kryptonians to come over and knock him out.

"Get rid of the bodies." Nam-Ek ordered. "And take him to Zod." he pointed at Bruce's knocked out figure. The soldiers did as ordered while Aethyr kept an eye on them and Nam-Ek scanned the horizon for any sign that someone else was there.

"They've all escaped." He stated.

"It doesn't matter." Aethyr replied as she joined him. "We have the means to get them back." She added as they both glanced back at Bruce who was being dragged to the mansion.

* * *

"THEY DID WHAT?!" Zod yelled as he smashed his fist into a wooden console of the mansion's main hall. The console was cut in two parts with a loud cracking sound.

"All of them made it back to their city, where we can't follow them." Aethyr answered calmly, not at all phased by Zod's temper. She had dealt with it for years.

"All of them but him." Nam-Ek added with the same cool attitude, pointing to Bruce.

"DAMN IT!" He punched the wall this time, leaving a large hole into it. "This is a declaration of war and I never lost one!" Zod reminded his soldiers. He eyed the human suspiciously. "Take him to the secure room in the undergrounds." He ordered to the two other soldiers behind Nam-Ek and Aethyr.

"Is there anything we can do, sir?" the latter asked after a few moments of silence.

"All of the games in the arena are put on hold, I want all of the available soldiers to monitor the prisons, 24/7 if necessary but I do not want to hear of any more ESCAPE! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!" Zod yelled again but the two kryptonians remained as cool as ice, knowing his wrath was not directed at them.

"Yes, sir." they both said before leaving.

Zod tried to calm himself down but failed and once again felt the urge to punch something, this time, his eyes fell on his royal seat. The next second it was flying out of the window. The day couldn't get worse to him. When explosions where heard at first, they knew it was the humans so he sent all of his soldiers over there but in the meantime, J'onn J'onzz showed up at the mansion and managed to kidnap Kal. That alone enraged him beyond reason but then, he had to be told that the humans succeeded in taking their friends out of prison along with Oliver Queen. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Right now, he could burn down an entire forest with the fire of his ire.

* * *

"I wouldn't want to take his place." The kryptonian who was dragging Bruce down the aisle by his left arm said, pointing down at the human.

"Good thing, you're not because with his temper I'm sure this guy won't even last two days." the other alien added, making movement with his other hand to emphasize.

The two men chuckled and turned the corner, in the direction of the stairs. They didn't see the hidden figure of Faora that looked over Bruce's out form with interest.

* * *

In his cell, Zaror paced quietly the length of his privileged room before stopping in the middle of it. He closed his eyes and focused on his brain waves. The rumors were bad enough but to get them confirmed by a guard was even worse. _He_ had to know.

* * *

At the other end of the universe, Darkseid had just landed on Earth. The journey lasted months even for him and now that he was here, he could finally claim this coveted planet as _his_. He had failed to get what he wanted in the first universe. Back then, his own body wasn't strong enough to materialize under the yellow sun of Earth and he had had to take over Lionel Luthor's body after giving his heart to his son, Lex Luthor. He had then headed over to the Kent farm in order to take over Kal-El's body but the latter had managed to beat him and the moment he flew through him, Lionel Luthor's body was destroyed to nothing and somehow, Darkseid found himself in this alternate universe. In the end it had turned out to his advantage since he now possessed the two thirds of this universe and soon Earth would be his. Then, nothing would stop him when he found out the last secret of the anti-life equation in the human's minds.

 _Master you should know something,_ the voice of minion sounded in his head.

"Talk to me Zaror." He replied. A few moments later he got his answer.

It was a simple and short sentence but it angered him to the point he felt his inside rage taking over him. He could not take the control back and a wave of energy shot out of his body by the power his rage. The blast destroyed the most part of Asia. Moments later, when his anger was back under control, Darkseid replayed Zaror's words in his head: _Zod is losing control_.

 _The fool._ He thought. Zod's incompetence was going to force him to fly back to Sedna and take care of this mess himself. As he shot through the space in the direction of the Big Red, he replayed in his head a mantra he had learned long ago but one he had decided to forget.

_Never let anyone else take care of something you could do yourself._


	15. Revelations

Kal grunted as he hit the ground unceremoniously. He felt the slight pain in his weaker knee but it faded away as quickly as it came. He stood up slowly, taking in the tumbledown room he was in. There was no furniture, cracks on the walls and a large hole on the ground from which he could see the lower floor.

 _Where am I?_ He wondered.

 _You are far, far away from Zod's influence, Kal-El._ A voice replied in his mind.

Startled, Kal looked around frantically with wide eyes. No one was here, even his x-ray vision picked up nothing in the ruins of the building. "What the hell?" he muttered.

 _Hell is exactly the word to describe what this planet has become._ The voice kept talking. _You've been living in it for twenty years._

Kal smirked. "Well, it has its perks." He didn't know what was going on here but when he found out who was messing with his head, the guy was dead.

_For you, yes. But what about the people who have to suffer because of your fault? Don't you think they deserve better?_

"What for?" Kal snorted. "They're weak, undisciplined and ignorant. I bet you're one of them." he added defiantly.

_Is that you talking or Zod? You should know, you were one of us, Kal-El._

"Stop calling me that!" The younger man's patience was wearing thin. "And show yourself if you want to talk!"

His yell echoed through the building and he swore that he saw the walls shaking. That was no surprise, they looked weak. The silence followed, only broken by the chirps of the birds in the sky and the cracking noises of the building. The atmosphere of the place was creepy and Kal could not shake the feeling of apprehension he felt. There was something wrong about that, no one ever dared to kidnap him in the past and Kal could only conclude that the man who did this either had suicidal tendencies or was extremely confident of his own power.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor made Kal turn around abruptly. His eyes fell on the figure standing at the doorstep of the room. The man's eyes were bright red for a second but when they turned to their normal appearance, he immediately recognized him.

The man from the dreams, "J'onn..." he murmured, almost to himself.

"J'onzz." the Martian added. "my name is J'onn J'onzz."

Kal was silent for a moment before anger clouded his features and he launched himself at the man, pinning him to the wall. "So you're the fucker who keeps messing with my head!" he yelled at him.

"I'm only helping you to discover the truth, Kal-El." J'onn responded calmly.

"The truth about what?!" the kryptonian demanded as his grip on the Martian tightened.

J'onn appeared unbiased by Kal's threatening behavior as he kept talking. "About yourself, your origins, Zod, and Krypton." He countered. "I would even say, the truth about everything."

Kal's grip loosened slowly on him as a wave of uncertainty mixed with curiosity washed over him. Every time he had woken up from these strange dreams, he couldn't remember them no matter how many times he raked his brains in order to find them, he always came up empty handed. Now however, he remembered. All of them. He had hundreds, if not thousands of questions about them but there was another part of him that yelled the man could not be trusted, that he had to bring him back to Zod.

 _Think about it this way, Kal-El. This is your only shot to learn the truth._ J'onn spoke but his lips didn't move. _Don't you want to know what happened?_

Kal considered for a moment, struggling with himself before nodding slowly. "I do." he told the other man even though the distrust and anger remained in his eyes.

 _When it's over, you'll be able to see the situation with new eyes and you'll know you can trust me._ J'onn's voice added in his mind. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"I am."

* * *

"It's not good."

Anzus announcement left the humans feeling bittersweet. It ate them away that they couldn't have gotten him out earlier. Now Oliver was in a very bad shape and Chloe knew she couldn't take it if she lost him _again_.

"He has almost twenty percent of his skin burned in the third degree, two broken knees that I had to replace in order to avoid any further damage and..." The old man's voice continued to sound in her mind but she didn't listen to it as she quietly left the group to enter the bedroom Oliver had been brought in.

He was there laying on the bed Victor had put him on as soon as they came back. His eyes closed as he lay there in his underwear. If it wasn't for the scars and the bandages, Chloe could have sworn he was just sleeping. Her heart was beating fast in her chest and she felt the strong pressure of fear there as she took one hesitant step towards the bed.

Then two, then three...

"Ollie!" she let out, her voice sounding like a muffled sob. She literally rushed at his side and had to physically restrain herself from jumping on the bed and reaching out to him.

 _He's hurt, Chloe! What's wrong with you?_ She summoned herself and immediately felt stupid for her childish urges. But she knew what was wrong with her, she was a mess. She would be until she knew he was completely safe. The only thing that kept her from breaking down was that Anzus hadn't said Oliver wouldn't make it. That must be a sign. If Oliver was in real danger, he would have said so, _right?_

Though it didn't stop the constant flow of her tears as she took the chair from the wall and put it close to the bed before sitting on it. She reached over and gently took his hand, cradling it in both of her smaller ones. The warmth she felt there reassured her and she felt her heart slow down a bit as she took a deep breath. Her calm was short-lived as her eyes roamed over his battered body, taking in a closer sight to his wounds. She saw the blood already soaking the bandages, the burnt skin that covered his right arm. The horrifying small but deep holes over his arms and legs in which Bart had told her had been metal nails.

When she learned about that, she actually had had to run away from the others and throw up as she felt the horror of the situation overwhelming her but also the disgust. Against Zod, Kal and Alia of course but also against herself. She shouldn't have waited so much time to break him out. Back when J'onn had just gotten them out of Zod's grip, she had kept telling her friends they had to prepare themselves and wait to be ready. Now she knew she had made a mistake, they shouldn't have wasted so much time, these precious days they'd spent just talking and thinking of a plan, they should have spent them on the battlefields, to find him and get him out.

But they didn't and now, Oliver was just lying there, unconscious and unmoving like he had been ever since he'd been rescued hours earlier. It was her fault.

Was he dying? Was he in pain? She didn't know. What she did know however was that she had failed him.

"You have to wake up Ollie." She whispered to him as her eyes settled on his face. She sighed in relief as she noticed that apart from a ugly bruise on his cheek and the black circles under his eyes, his face appeared unscathed. What would they do if he happened to leave them? Everyone had looked up to him since the beginning. Being the Green Arrow had made Oliver the silent leading force of their group and Chloe knew without a doubt that he'd be an amazing leader. The job was cut out for him.

If he were conscious and well, Oliver would be out there leading them. They would free Bruce and all of the prisoners from Zod's grip in a blink. Chloe smiled a bit at the thought. She would give everything to see that happen.

"Bruce needs you, Ollie." She murmured into his ear as her hand ran over the short beard he had grown while he was being detained. "All those prisoners, all of us we need you." She continued as she felt her emotions rise again. " _I_ need you!"

Her words were spoken like a broken whisper, her tears filling once again her eyes and suddenly, sitting there was just not enough for her, she had to be closer to him. She just wanted to make sure he was really alive.

She climbed on the bed, careful not to hurt him. She wrapped her arms around him slowly as she sobbed quietly in his neck, taking in his scent. "I love you."

She didn't know how much time she spent here but at some point, Anzus came inside to check on him. His face was more conflicted than before when he checked his pulse and his various wounds. She had asked him what was going on but he had refused to tell her at first. That wasn't until she became more insistent that he told her she had to prepare herself to tell Oliver goodbye forever.

"No!" she sobbed as she moved to have her head above his, her eyes scanning his face. He looked so calm, so peaceful, almost as if he were sleeping.

"Don't leave me..." she whispered brokenly as she dropped her forehead on his and closed her eyes even as her tears never stopped sliding down her cheeks, some of them falling on his face.

That was then she felt it for the second time. That odd tingling sensation that took over all of her body, she felt her energy draining out of her, a feeling of exhaustion soon appeared and she fought to keep her eyes open as she saw the bright light enveloping the both of them.

Why was her shield activating again? There was no danger for her. That was the last thought she had before everything went black.

* * *

The first thing Oliver felt when he came to was the soft material of the mattress under him. It was a strong change from the hard grounds and ropes he had been used to in the past month. His fingers flexed slowly as he ran his hands over the mattress on his sides, enjoying its softness.

His eyes opened slowly and he saw a gentle ray of light coming through the curtains of the window. The sun. Was it possible he was in heaven? The last thing he remembered was being in Chloe's arms after thinking she was dead and then... it was just black.

He blinked several times, adjusting his eyes to the room. It seemed like a bedroom. It looked simple and there was cracks on the walls but to Oliver it was actually a luxury after the dark and uncomfortable cell of Zod underground.

He tried to get up but that was at that moment he realized there was a slight pressure on his chest. Looking down, he saw a blonde head gently reposing on him. His heart skipped a beat. Was it...?

His fingers slowly brushed the hair from her face and his breath caught in his throat.

"Chloe!"

She was there alive but... she looked pale, even more than usual. That wasn't normal. His fingers dropped on the skin of her neck to try and find a pulse.

He felt _none_.

Panic hovered over him like a dark cloud as his shaking fingers found her pulse point once again. This time, he felt one. He let out his breath, relieved to find her alive again. However, it took him a few moments to realize that her pulse was faint, too faint for his liking. That wasn't good. He gently moved her body from him and onto the bed before almost automatically walking out of the room to seek out help.

He opened the door of the room and found a dozen pair of surprised eyes watching him. His own widened as he watched them back, not knowing what to say.

"Oliver? You're alive?"

* * *

Bruce breathed sharply as he recovered from the last blow. His naked body was hurting and he felt himself on the edge of unconsciousness.

"Don't leave us already!" Zod yelled at him as his hand connected with the human's jaw.

Bruce cried out again and shook his head, trying to dissipate the dizziness. He struggled violently against the strong ropes tying him to his chair.

"Yeah, that's right, fight! Fight!" Zod shouted at him as Bruce shot him a dark look. "Still trying to be the tough boy, do you?" He said. A second later, the back of his hand slapped Bruce across the face. The human groaned but recovered quickly.

Zod sighed. "How long has it been already, Bruce?" the krytonian asked as his eyes reflected how much he enjoyed the feeling of power he was feeling at the moment. Bruce on the other hand was feeling weak and downright exhausted.

It had been two days already since he'd been captured. Since Condo's death. However, he had a good feeling about Oliver because he was sure he'd have already seen him if he was still under Zod's guard. Oliver has escaped, he was positive.

The alien hadn't said a thing about him and Bruce didn't ask but he saw it in his eyes. The rage Zod was trying to hide could only be the result of his friend's escape.

"Almost four hours." He said as he showed Bruce the same number of fingers. "I don't know about you but I enjoyed every minute." He added with a wicked grin that Bruce knew meant there was more to come.

"However," Zod said a bit louder as he walked towards the door of the room before turning back to the human. "I think it's time to take our joyful reunion to the next level. Don't you think my friend?"

He knocked on the door and not even a second later it opened. Two men entered inside, carrying a very large metal basin filled with water. They dropped it on the ground and left without a word. Bruce jumped at the sound of the door closing as he eyed the piece of metal fearfully.

"Isn't water one of the most precious thing in the universe?" Bruce heard Zod speaking before the man walked and crouched in front of him. Now at eye-level, Zod stared into his eyes for a moment, tilting his head to the side. "Essential to almost every form of life in the entire universe. Do you imagine how ironic it would be to die from it?" Zod chuckled. "Bruce Wayne... killed by the same liquid he can't live without."

The younger man felt his heartbeat multiply exponentially as fear got a grip of his entire being. His eyes wide, he realized what Zod was attempting to do, he wanted to _drown_ him.

Bruce gulped but didn't say anything. The entire time, he'd been dead silent, trying to be as stoical as possible during every form of torture Zod tried on him. This one was going to be like all of the others, he'd overcome it. He said that to himself but he couldn't help the fear that filled him.

"Anything you want to tell me?" Zod asked slowly as his eyes narrowed. "Like... a way to enter the city?"

Despite his predicament, Bruce smirked at Zod and broke his full silence rule for the first time in hours. "Nice try but... you know this is the only reason I'm still alive." He found the kryptonian's gaze. "You'll have to do better than that."

The defiance of the human irritated Zod more than he could say. With the rage already bubbling inside of him because of Oliver's escape, Kal's disappearance and the humans' bold attacks, it wasn't look before he lost his nerve.

Letting out a cry of frustration, he gripped Bruce and dragged him to the basin before pushing his chair forward. The younger man's body bent forward, taking the chair with him as his upper body fell into the water. Zod's strength maintained him underwater while he fought and struggled against the liquid. Soon, he felt his lungs burning and he struggled harder, panic animating him.

It felt like a small eternity before Zod took him out of the water. He took a desperate breath and actually promised to himself that if he made it out alive of this, he'd cherish every breath he would take in the future.

The torture went on and on for several more hours. During that entire time, Bruce only saw water and more water, Zod was letting him suffocate to the point his survival instinct kicked in and he was forced to take a breath _under water_. Then, he would drag him out and yell into his ear, telling him he was just a worthless piece of shit and demanding that he told him how to enter the refuge of his friends. The thing was that there was no way for kryptonians to enter into their safe zone, they had made sure of that the day J'onn came to get them out. But even if there was, Bruce would rather drown himself than tell even one word about it to the ruthless dictator.

He could barely see, barely hear anything but the beating of his own heart in his ears. His chest felt like it was about to explode and Zod's yelled words weren't even processed by his brain. He was drained. At this point he could even die, it didn't matter to him and maybe it could give him a chance to see his parents again in the afterlife.

He heard Zod once again shout close to his ear. Not understanding a word, he laughed almost hysterically before gathering his strength for one last defiant action.

He spat some more water before painfully turning his head towards him and flashing the kryptonian his best annoying smile. "Try again."

His blurry vision didn't even picked up the rage on the other man's face but he felt the water once again finding him. He fought when he felt air becoming an issue again but this time, Zod didn't drag him out. His instinct took over and he struggled frantically, as he took a breath. The water filled him and he felt the strong pressure in his head. He choked on it several times before he closed his eyes. At last, finding peace.

* * *

He was counting.

Nine hours and forty eight minutes.

That was the time that had passed since Oliver came out of his coma and that Chloe fell into hers.

After Oliver walked out of the room, he found his friends, humans and aliens, in the large corridor of what seemed like a hotel. They'd been shocked at first to see him completely healed but it was quickly pushed aside by everyone when Oliver told them Chloe was unconscious. Anzus had rushed at her side and examined her for hours. The entire time, Oliver had been by her side, holding her hand that strangely felt colder than normal. It was downright weird because it felt like as if she were dead but she still had a pulse. Did that even make sense?

After a moment, Oliver had begun harassing Anzus with questions and it wasn't long before the old man kicked him out of the room after of course taking a proper look at him. They were all under the shock of Oliver's sudden return from the dead since he'd been told that without that miracle, he wouldn't have made it.

Now he was there, worrying himself to death as he tortured his mind with horrible thought of what was going on with Chloe. He alternated between pacing the entire length of the corridor and eating his nails with worry as he sat on a chair nearby. It had been that way for nine hours and forty eight minutes. None of them was seeing the end of it.

Of course his friends had tried to start the conversation with him several times already but Oliver had been too caught up in his own mind to truly pay attention to what they said. So, most of the time, they were all sitting there, an awkward silence filling the air as they all tried to ignore the pink elephant in the room.

"So where are we actually?" Oliver eventually asked, trying to distract his mind from the fact that Chloe was in coma. He swore he saw his friends jump in surprise as he talked for the first time in hours.

There were a few moments of silence before Dinah cleared her throat and answered him. "We're in Alluria, it's a city that's very far away from Kandor." she said. "We're safe here."

"Safe?" Oliver echoed, a hint of disbelief in his voice as he stared at Dinah.

"Dude, you remember the blue rings of the kryptonians?" Bart, on his left side, asked.

Oliver turned his head towards him and nodded.

"It's actually some kind of meteor-rock that strips them of their powers." The young human explained. "Here, there is another kind of this thing but that's green and it's like poison to them. They can't stand to be close to this. Man, you'd love this shit!" He added with a grin. Bart had discovered the effects of the green kryptonite on them when Zod's soldiers had tried to follow them in the city. He could say he had felt some kind of enjoyment in seeing his former tormentors feel pain for a change.

Oliver grinned too, his excitement was contagious. Before he could ask another question, Victor spoke up. "There are actually tons of this rock here so when we first arrived here, we spent weeks moving it around to make an anti-kryptonian barrier around the center." The cyborg told him. "It's actually extending on almost three miles. That's more than enough to stop any kryptonian even if they try to fly they can't cross it. We're completely safe."

"Where does this meteor-rock come from?" Oliver asked.

"They don't know but I actually think I've been around long enough to know." Nohaek, one of Condo's friends spoke up. Everyone turned to him, genuine curiosity on their faces. "Years ago, there was a meteor-shower that we think brought here a part of the old Krypton. I don't think Sedna was the only planet touched by it but what I know was that It was so strong it shook the ground all the way to the other side of the planet." the alien explained. "The kryptonians were lucky, it could have fallen on Kandor and then, all of them would be dead. Instead it fell onto this part of the planet and Alluria was in the middle of it. That's why most of the city is destroyed."

The group went on, speaking about everything that had happened after the meteor-shower and then, changing subject, talking about what the humans had done when J'onn brought them here, their plan to get Oliver and Condo's friends out. AC filled them in on Bruce and Condo's possible death. Oliver could see he was blaming himself for what had happened and he could definitely relate. He knew he'd blame himself too if he were in AC's position. That wasn't his fault and as much as his heart hurt at the idea of his spiritual brother dying at the hands of Zod's men, that was casualties of war.

Still, he wouldn't believe Bruce was dead, not until he saw his body. His friends had refused to believe him dead when he was detained for an entire month and they had been right. Oliver would do the same for Bruce, he couldn't be dead.

"There is one thing we haven't talked about yet." Oliver announced as he looked at the youngest member of the group. "Bart, can you fill me in on your resuscitation?" He asked gently as he saw the teenager shift uncomfortably.

"Look, I don't know how it happened." Bart replied quickly. The idea of flirting with death was already weird enough. "I just fell unconscious and woke up in the middle of this... shit." He said as his face arbored a sudden green color, he looked sick.

The others gently pushed him to talk about it, careful not to ask too much. Bart seemed reluctant but eventually gave in. He explained how he woke up in the middle of hundreds of dead bodies. The image of all of these corpses lying there, in process of putrefaction was engraved into his mind forever. They all felt bad for the young man, not even fully realizing the horror of the situation yet. They eventually came up with several theories about Bart's return to the land of the living. The most probable one evoked the possibility that Bart sped up his heartbeat involuntary at a rate that was way faster than the one of a normal human being. It acted like a defense mechanism and had for consequence to pull his body into an apparent death in order to protect him. After a certain time, his heart would slow down to a normal rate, therefore, waking him up.

That was still a theory that had yet to be proved but it seemed to be the right one. Bart's metabolism was much faster than everyone else's and it was possible that his speed was not only limited to his legs and reflexes.

They agreed on that and it reassured Oliver to think that Bart had never been actually dead. He was alive thanks to Bart and he couldn't be more proud of him in the moment. The thought of him feeling so lost and not knowing what to do pained him. Yet, Bart had managed to find him and to save him. Overcome by a wave of gratefulness, he stood up and hugged the teenager tight.

"Never do that to me again, Bart." He summoned him affectionately.

"I'll do my best." Bart replied playfully.

Oliver rolled his eyes, he was about to talk back when a voice rang through the corridor. It was coming from the bedroom.

" _Oliver_!"

Her voice... Without a second thought, Oliver rushed in the bedroom, practically destroying the door as he entered. He looked around frantically, disoriented for a moment before his eyes fell onto her petite form lying on the bed. She was awake and looking up at him with big green eyes expressing so much emotions, he felt his heart clench.

Not believing what he saw, he stepped forward hesitantly, almost cautiously. When he finally reached the bed, he went still. Staring deeply into her eyes he felt himself connect back with her soul like they both had all those months ago when they first met. She felt it too but apparently, she needed to feel more of him because the next second her hand touched his, snapping him out of his trance.

They barely heard Anzus leaving and telling their friends that they needed some alone time together. It was just the two of them, nothing else mattered, just like when he had first kissed her before going to fight Kal. He was now dying for a repeat performance but, his mind wouldn't leave him alone, he wanted answers.

"Chloe..." he began but she shushed him with a finger on his lips.

"We'll talk later." she murmured even if they were alone in the room.

"But Chloe, your powe-" He protested weakly but stopped immediately when her lips slanted over his. All thoughts of her power flew from his head and he groaned as he felt her tongue exploring his mouth. It felt even better than their first kiss because now, they weren't going to be separated. A small feeling of guilt churned in their stomachs as they knew they should already be thinking about going back to Kandor and help Bruce and the other prisoners. But this, was something they needed and wanted. They wouldn't be satisfied without at last being together in every way. Besides, they knew that during this time, their friends would already be preparing a plan and it was too soon to go back yet.

They would just enjoy the moment while it lasted because when it was over, they would be both going back to reality and fight.

Chloe smiled as she broke the kiss. Feeling his forehead drop on her, they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before her grin widened. "I love you."

Oliver's heart skipped a beat as he heard the genuine words and saw the pure affection of love in her eyes. His face softened with the same expression as he said the words back. "I love you too."

Soon, they resumed their kiss and passion replaced uncertainty, joy erased their fears and love overwhelmed them in a spiritual warm cocoon.

They fell back into the bed as they began to get each other's clothes off. It was going to be a night they would remember for the rest of their lives. A night between two humans deeply in love who would soon get their roles of soldiers back to fight the injustice of this world.

* * *

Bruce shivered as the temperature in the room seemed to drop by every second. He was freezing and the water torture he'd gone through hadn't helped warming his body. Not to mention he was completely naked, that was a way to humiliate him, to strip him of all his defenses. Zod was a _heartless_ bastard.

Hours had passed since he'd woken up after falling unconscious during his last session with Zod. When he came to, he was alone in the room and free from the chair he'd been tied to by Zod. Now that his body was feeling this cold, he felt like he could use this to his advantage and walk a bit to try to warm himself up.

Standing slowly, he winced as several spots of his body protested. Yet, he managed to ignore the pain slightly and walk a bit, always close the wall. He felt extremely dizzy and his vision turned black for a second before the blood finally reached his head and the blur went away. Still not trusting his ability to stand without using the wall as a support, he continued to walk slowly until his body refused to go on. Too exhausted to move again, he stood there not knowing what to do.

His head jerked up as the sound of the door opening echoed through the room. Bruce didn't bother to try to hide his nakedness, it was useless. Was Zod already back for a second round? How much more could Bruce take from the sick fucker?

His eyes widened with surprise as he saw the person that entered the room wasn't Zod. It was a woman. Bruce had a good memory of people, he knew who it was and that was what surprised him more, what did she want?

Faora closed the door behind her before turning around and stopping at the sight of Bruce in front of her. Her eyes roamed over his exposed body, a hint of lust in her eyes however, the rest of her face remained indifferent.

"You sure know how to make a first impression, dear." Faora spoke quietly. "Way to give a girl a view." She added as a smirk appeared on her lips. "Been working out?"

Bruce's jaw tightened. "I'm sure you didn't come down here to make fun of me." he replied darkly. "What do you want?"

"I've been watching you." Faora said, completely ignoring his question and tone. She walked a few steps forward and stopped when she was in the middle of the room, swaying her hips seductively. "It's been interesting... but I want more." she raised an eyebrow suggestively.

His own shot up as realization dawned on him. "So you're here to have some fun with me before Zod ends my 'pathetic' existence, right? Or would you do it yourself?" His voice got louder with each words, surprising himself with how much in control he sounded. There was something about her that intrigued him. She hadn't even been there for five minutes and she had managed to make him feel something different than fear and weakness. Strangely enough, he wasn't afraid of her. He knew he should but he was more... _irritated_ than anything else.

A faint flash of guilt and regret crossed her face before she recomposed herself quickly. It was so quick that Bruce had to ask himself if he hadn't imagined it. "I'm not Zod." She whispered to him, her tone sounded less confident all of a sudden and Bruce felt himself drawn to her for some reason.

"But half of your statement is right although I'm not forcing you," she told him, her hand falling on the belt of her large coat. "I'm just giving you something you could use right now."

Bruce felt air leave his lungs and he sucked in deep breath at her statement. "And that would be?"

Faora raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. It wasn't the cold wicked smile of a psychopath, it was warm, genuine, almost... _tender_. "Some body heat." She answered simply as she tugged at the knot of her belt. The coat fell to the ground and Bruce's eyes widened almost comically as he realized she was standing fully naked in front of him. Unable to stop himself from checking her out he already felt his body responding to her.

Without even thinking about it, he pushed himself away from the wall and stepped closer to her, his eyes not leaving her for a second. When there was only a few inches between them, he stared into her eyes and noticed her breathing was accelerating, just like his own.

"This is just for body heat." he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Just for body heat." she repeated before his lips crashed over hers.


	16. Backfire

_Three weeks later..._

"Almost there!"

AC shouted as his teammates were busy shooting at the kryptonians coursing after them. The cars blasted between the buildings, their engines roaring with each further acceleration. He could already see the green rocks hundreds meters in front of them. Glancing in the rear mirror AC noticed the kryptonians who were still too close to them for his liking. Pressing harder onto the gas pedal, he drove the car faster in the direction of their _safe_ zone, all the while hoping that the truck full of ex-prisoners wouldn't be shot.

They were about to reach their goal when suddenly, one alien appeared in front of them. AC's eyes widened and he tapped on Oliver's shoulder seated besides him. The latter was busy firing kryptonite at the attackers behind them. He turned back when he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder and looked at him.

The other man's hand gestured in the direction of the safe zone. "Front!" he shouted so he could be heard over the loud engine.

Oliver saw the alien in the middle of the road and reacted quickly. Changing his gun's direction, he fired at the intruder whose superspeed helped him dodge the bullets and disappear. Fortunately for them, they crossed the border before he could reappear.

"Stop there!" Oliver motioned for him to park on the side of the road, which he did in a matter of seconds. Instantly disembarking and taking a hold of the heavy machine gun, Oliver was followed by AC and the two aliens who were in the jeep with them. Their moves were quick and effective. They'd done it almost a hundred times already.

The truck was still under fire and hadn't crossed the border yet. They had to help them with a supporting fire until they made it there. There was another jeep behind the truck that protected it and one shooter was on the roof of it. It was Chloe.

"Shoot'em! Shoot'em!" Oliver yelled. Immediately, the heavy weapons vomited their bullets, emptying their magazines at full rate. Some of the aliens got shot and fell to the ground, others stopped in the air and retreated but some, were persistent and ducked the blasts as best as they could. They were the most dangerous ones. It felt like a small eternity before the truck followed by the second jeep passed by them with shouts of victory.

"Don't stop! Keep driving!" Noahek shouted at Hal who was driving the truck. The second jeep didn't stop either and continued its road. Oliver and his team quickly ran to their own vehicle and got in, driving away before another kryptonian could shoot their lasers at them.

Now that everyone was inside the safest part of the city, they could breathe easier. However, there was still tension in the air because the mission wasn't a full success. Sure, they managed to break out about fifty more prisoners but they hadn't made it to their main target.

The rest of the journey was spent in an uncomfortable silence between the four men. Ten minutes later, there was no more kryptonite passing by on their sides and on the road. They had finally reached the center of the city. The place where they were all living. It had been their luck to find so much working vehicles and weapons in the city.

There was an old military base in Alluria that had been mostly destroyed during the meteor shower but they had managed to find the only ones who remained usable. Granted the Sednians had been more developed than the humans before Zod's invasion. The cars didn't need oil to work, there was a fuel made of sand that worked for them. And they had plenty of sand in here considering they had a direct access to the only ocean of the planet in the city. That had made the joy of AC who had recovered from all of his wounds several times in it.

The car eventually pulled over and stopped. Oliver got out and half-walked half-ran in the direction of the truck from which his friends were helping the prisoners exiting. However, checking on the prisoners wasn't his number one preoccupation at the moment as he spotted her. "Chloe!" he called.

The woman in question whirled around at the sound of his voice and ran to him, closing the distance between them before getting in a crushing hug. Oliver was always worried about her when she was out on the fields but this time, she had taken a very dangerous position by protecting the truck from its roof. He sighed in relief, glad that nothing bad had happened to her. She pulled back a little to look at him and smiled softly but also crisply as she lifted a hand to his cheek. Her hand missed one finger that had been cut off during their very first attack almost two months earlier back when Oliver was still under Zod's authority.

It happened when she got in a fight with Vala, Kal's fiancée who also happened to be a fan of knives. The woman had given Chloe a superficial wound on her arm but her finger wasn't as lucky.

It still tugged at his heart when she pulled the bandages off and that he saw her four-fingered hand. He had to get used to it because there was no way she could get it back. At least, not until they returned to Earth.

Their lips met, their tongues dancing in a passionate kiss that expressed all the worry and love between them. It was soon over though. They didn't want to get too cozy when there were people who needed them.

"I'll go see if anyone is hurt." Chloe told him as she gave him one last peck on the lips and left his arms.

"Hey!" he called softly after her. "Be careful." he said when he met her eyes.

Chloe rolled her eyes but smiled faintly to reassure him. She knew why he said that, he was afraid she had to heal a deep wound and fall into a coma before waking up. Every time it was the same thing and each time she had to use her power he freaked out. He had tried to stop her from using it but it ended up in a big fight between them and after they made up, Oliver knew better than to try again.

She loved him more than anything but she couldn't let people get hurt and do nothing. Not when she could to something about it. she had an amazing power and she had to use it even if it could be dangerous for herself.

Oliver on the other hand always dreaded that she use her power. It affected him more than he could express with word, the way she seemed dead for several hours. What if she healed someone and never woke up?

He sighed. Sometimes Chloe was too selfless for her own good. he shook his head affectionately at her retreating form before he made his way to the hotel they used as their home. He felt the tension going back as he entered the building and met Bart, Victor as well as their alien teammates.

"How did it go?" the youngest human asked, a hint of hope in his eyes. "Do you have him?"

Oliver swallowed thickly and met his eyes. He didn't know what to say so he just shook his head. His friend's faces fell as frustration came back over them. Passing by them without a word, he made a bee line for the water tank that his throat craved at the moment. He had been out in action for hours.

"Maybe... maybe they keep him hidden somewhere else," Victor tried to resonate. "We'll look into it again and next time we'll get him out."

"It's been three weeks!" Oliver's voice exclaimed, "We've tried so many times but we couldn't get inside. Too many guards, too much risk..." his voice trailed off as he looked down into his empty glass.

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment to get the control back over his anger. "We don't even know if Bruce is really in there or if he's already dead and all of this is just a ploy!" His voice rose with each words he pronounced as he turned around and stared at Victor. "Damn it!" He banged his fist on the table making his friends wince.

"We have to go back there." Another voice interrupted them. They all turned round to see Dinah entering the building and removing the scarf around her face. "Force our way inside and see once for all if he's there."

"You aint serious, right?" Bart looked at her as if she had lost her mind. When he realized she was serious he shook his head. "Man this is crazy!"

"We have to do something, he's been gone for too long." She persisted.

"Dinah, I know what you're feeling," Oliver looked at her. "but we just came back. We're exhausted, we can't go back in Kandor like this."

"Look the prisoners we got out today told us they've heard that one human is still in one of Zod's hidden cell." The blond woman continued. "I'm sure he's keeping him in the mansion."

The men were silent for a few minutes, weighting their choices. "We can have Bart do some reckon there." Victor proposed.

Bart's head shot up. "Oh yeah, I second that!" He said excitedly. "I'm dying to go for a run!"

"It's dangerous, Bart!" Oliver interrupted. "We can't take that risk."

"Come on Ollie!" The teenager insisted. "You know I'm much faster than them, I can do it!"

Oliver was about to refuse again when Chloe's voice sounded in the room. "You know he's right, Ollie." she said gently as she came to his side and grasped his arm. "You can't keep him out of the fields forever."

The archer looked into her eyes for a second before she nodded at him. He sighed deeply and caved in. "Alright."

Bart instantly brightened. "Thanks!" he said with an excited grin before preparing to speed out of the room.

"Wait!" Oliver's voice called after him. He looked over his shoulder. "Just don't ever stop even for a second or they'll get you. okay?"

Bart nodded solemnly. "I promise." he told him before leaving in a gust of wind.

Chloe watched as Oliver exhaled loudly, his brows creased with worry. "Let's get some sleep." she said softly as she looked around the hall. "The prisoners are being taken care of, we need to rest up before Bart comes back. Then we'll decide what to do."

Everyone nodded at her, Oliver had taken the leader role in the group but Chloe was the one who always had the last word, she was the voice of reason and the heart of the team at the same time. And Oliver couldn't agree more as he followed her into their room. They stripped down and got into bed, finally finding peace there. Wrapped into each other's arms, they let sleep take over them.

* * *

"I can't see anything." Oliver whispered as the sandstorm began to rise. It had been five hours since Bart came back and localized Bruce under the mansion. They decided there was no time to lose and left for Kandor, ignoring that it was a bad time for such a dangerous mission. The weather was not exactly turning in their favor and the night was pitch black, at least the whistling wind covered their voices from any kryptonian's hearing.

"I do." Victor told him.

"Man, sometimes I wish I had a cyber-eye like you dude." Bart chipped in as usual. "Can you see through walls? That must be cool for some chick-recon!"

"Bart!" Chloe exclaimed as she began to regret ever agreeing to let Bart come with them. He was a good kid but sometimes he could be a real pain in the butt. "This is serious! Now shut up and let Vic talk!"

The latter gave the teenager a look for a second before glancing at the mansion. They were a few hundreds meters far from the building, lying down on the ground under a bunch of bushes.

"Three guards at the main entrance plus two more busy circling the manor. They just rounded the corner, we have about three minutes until they reappear."

"What do we do?" Dinah asked.

"Hal and I will take the three of them out and then we run inside, praying that no one sees us." Oliver said as he looked at his teammate. Hal nodded at him and they both loaded their guns equipped with silent canons.

"At three." Chloe whispered. "One...Two..." she sent one last glance to check if there was anyone else they could have missed. When she saw no one she gave the signal. "Three."

The muffled sounds of the guns were heard and the three figures fell on the ground, dead.

"Clear!" Victor half-shouted as they got up and sprinted towards the building. Their hearts were slamming in their chests, all the way trying to be as stealth as possible, knowing that the smallest of mistakes could give them away.

Eventually, they reached their goal. They pressed themselves close to the wall, breathing hard because of their fear to be caught. The humans already felt the adrenaline kicking in and tried to control themselves as best as they could. They couldn't afford doing anything stupid right now. They hid the bodies as Bart received the go sign from Chloe.

He sped inside the large house, reappearing in front of his friends a few seconds later. "It's all clear," the Flash announced.

They nodded and entered inside. The house was dead silent and there was no sign of anyone there, not even one light was on. They felt incredibly lucky because apparently everyone was already asleep.

The rest of the way wasn't more eventful as they found the stairs and walked down carefully to the lower ground where Zod's personal prisoners were being detained.

From there, Bart led them down the dark alley towards Bruce's cell. Their footsteps were whispers in the silence and they held their breaths as they stopped in front of a steeled door. "That's here?" Tess asked hesitantly, not believing that they were so close to their goal.

Bart's throat felt dry as he nodded, indicating to their friends that this was it. In a minute they were going to finally see him again.

Oliver's heart beat echoed in his ears as he gestured to Victor to take care of the door. The cyborg didn't lose a second and kicked it open, the steeled door flew open and out of its hinges with a loud bang that they all knew would alert Zod's soldiers.

They got inside quickly and looked around for their captive friend. He was nowhere in sight. "No!" Oliver whispered as he refused to once again see his hopes getting crushed. He _had_ to be there.

His peers felt the same and after a frantic search of the small room they felt even worse, he was not here.

"He has to be somewhere!" The blond archer barked. "Bart!"

The younger man jumped at the tone of his mentor as all heads turned towards him. "Ollie, I swear he was there! I saw him, I'm sure it was him!" he spoke a mile a minute, afraid of the look Oliver was giving him.

"Ollie, stop!" Chloe put a hand on his arm. "It isn't his fault!"

Oliver sighed deeply and looked back at the scared form of his little brother. "Sorry, buddy." he apologized. "I just..."

"It's okay." Bart gave him a hesitant smile.

"I hate to interrupt but we can't stay here forever." Dinah broke the silence.

"That's right, Bruce's not here but he could be in another cell." Hal added. "Maybe he was moved?"

"Let's check the entire level." AC proposed and headed for the door when they all agreed. He got out of the room when suddenly, a loud explosion shook the entire construct and the human was sent flying back in the cell.

Their ears were ringing, they coughed at the thick smoke filling the air, their heads were pounding, their lungs burning and their eyes stinging. One by one, their senses came back and it was with an appalling sensation that they came to the only conclusion possible.

It was a set-up, Bruce had been moved and they wanted them to head inside without another thought in mind. And they did exactly that, they ran for it.

"Shit!" Tess shouted. "AC!"

Through the smoke their eyes had a hard time seeing anything but the fire in the corridor lighted up the cell for them, they could see the unconscious figure of AC lying on the ground.

Chloe went for him and rolled him on his back. She gasped at the sight of blood on his abdomen. "He's in pretty bad shape!" she tried to find his pulse and felt none, at the same moment she realized one thing that sent fear racing back in her body. "He's not breathing!"

Bart's breath caught in his throat. "We gotta get him out of here!"

"Come on!" Oliver said more confidently than he felt, "Chloe can't heal him here, let's carry him outside!" He and Hal gripped him and they all began to head back for the door but stopped dead in their tracks the second they realized they were not alone.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible." A tall black kryptonian reprimanded with his cryptic voice.

"Now that we got you back, we're not letting you go." A woman at his side added, her blue eyes were as cold as the ones of a dead person.

The humans were frozen for several minutes before they realized they had lost their weapons in the explosion and it was too late to try to grab them.

"You won't leave this room alive." The man continued and their eyes turned yellow. The humans didn't know what to do, they were about to be burned alive and there was nothing they could do.

Could this be the end for them? After all they went through?

Their questions were answered as at the moment the two kryptonians were about to shoot their lasers, several other explosions resonated, making the walls shake strongly. The building made dangerous noises and one last explosion was so powerful it made everyone stumble and fall, even the aliens couldn't resist it.

"What's that?" the kryptonian woman shouted over the loud sound of the explosions. The man didn't answer but looked into her eyes and she realized he was as clueless as she was.

He got up and began to run out to see what was going on when the sound of flesh being sliced was heard, he gasped, his hands flew to his throat where blood was already running down his skin. He fell on his knees before hitting the ground, dead.

"Nam-Ek!" the woman shouted as she got up but a strong punch sent her back onto the soil, unconscious.

In the entryway, two figures were outlined through the smoke, the humans squinted their eyes and waved the smoke away as they tried to see who it was. One of the two shadows moved forward enough to be recognized and their eyes widened.

"Kal!"

* * *

The mansion was making dangerous noises as they all felt its structure moving in a way that indicated it could fall apart at every second. Yet, they didn't move. Frozen at their spots from the moment they recognized Zod's heir, the humans remained in their state of shock as if unable to form any thought. There was only a feeling of dread filling the air in the room.

Moments earlier, they had two kryptonian soldiers about to kill them and now, there was only one alien standing in front of them. The difference was that they knew what Kal was capable of, he was dangerous and merciless.

Eventually, they were shaken out of their daze as a strident noise made by a close wall crumbing down echoed in the room. Their first instincts were to protect themselves against the new danger.

In the blink of an eye, Bart was up and retrieved all of their weapons. The next seconds, all of the humans had their weapons back in their hands. Kal, weakened by the green kryptonite knives and arrows stumbled a little and steadied himself with the help of the wall.

"Where's Bruce?" Bart demanded, he was the closest one to the alien, the tip of the knife held to the kryptonian's neck threatening to kill him if he did anything suspicious. The rest of the group didn't try to stop him, they would to the same thing.

"I don't... know," Kal answered difficultly, every cell in his body felt like it was about to be atomized and that wasn't a feeling he liked, at all. "You have to trust me..."

"Trust you?!" Oliver barked as he stepped forward too, a dark look in his eyes. "You're bold enough to ask us to trust you? After everything you've done?" He used his slightly taller frame to tower over him dangerously. "If the roles were reversed you'd have already killed us. That's the difference between us, Kal. We're not cold-blooded murderers!"

"You don't understand... I've changed!" Kal exclaimed, trying to assemble as much honesty as he could.

The young humans, all of them, snorted at the alien's words. Kal, the son of Zod had just told them he had changed. They had witnessed the evilness of the man, Kal could not change, not for the better at least. That wasn't possible.

"Bullshit!" Hal shouted.

"Why should we trust you?" Chloe, who was once again knelt at AC's side, asked. She appeared confident on the outside but when her eyes met Kal's, she couldn't help the instinctive fear she felt inside herself. What Kal had done -or more technically, almost done- to her had left a permanent scar on her mind, one she was still trying to get rid of. However, her gaze didn't flee his because in that moment, he wasn't leading the game, _they_ had all the cards in hand.

The group was so angry at him that they had completely forgotten the existence of the second figure still standing in the entry, behind Kal. At Chloe's words he stepped forward out of the smoke. "Trust my judgment." J'onn J'onzz said. "We're here to get you out of here."

If they were confused before, now the humans didn't understand anything. Why was J'onn teaming up with the enemy? At their puzzled expressions, J'onn gave them a gentle smile and slowly took the kryptonite knife away from Kal's neck. "Believe me, we're only here to help."

* * *

"So you're the one who decided to chant Shakespear quotes in my mind, right?" Oliver asked lightly. They had just gotten back from Kandor and were now in Alluria, J'onn and Kal included. The latter had slipped on a blue kryptonite ring to be able to live in a place surrounded by meteor-rocks that could kill him. He was now locked up in a room that was heavily guarded.

Kal may have changed as he said but the humans weren't convinced and they'd much rather be safe than sorry. While the kryptonian was pacing impatiently in his room, Chloe and Tess had slipped AC's injured body into the water of the ocean. So far, he was healing nicely and it wouldn't be long before he woke up.

J'onn smirked as he looked at the red sun in the sky before turning towards the archer. "Actually, it was from Ralph Waldo Emerson," He smiled. "but you got the message and it helped you survive."

Oliver's smile faltered and his eyes turned colder. "Against Kal." he corrected the Martian.

The other man sighed. "Oliver, I know you don't want to see it... and that's completely acceptable." he added quickly when he saw that the other was about to respond. "But Kal-El, which is his real name, is our best asset at the moment."

Oliver was silent for a moment, he shook his head before retorting. "You're right, I don't get it." He said sharply. "How can he be so important to us? Sure he has powers but we, have hundreds of people on our side and the number is growing every hour."

"You're doing a great job forming the resistance, Oliver." J'onn responded calmly. "You and your friends are the hope we always held onto but never thought would actually happen. I will be infinitely grateful to you for that..." his voice trailed off.

"But?"

"But Kal-El has a complicated past that explains why he is so important to us right now." The Martian told his friend. At Oliver's lack of change in his posture, he sighed deeply. "I need you to reunite all of your friends now, I will explain everything."

Oliver hesitated for a moment but eventually gave in and nodded before leaving.

"Thank you."

* * *

"General." Zod heard Aethyr's voice behind him but he didn't make any move to acknowledge her presence. He was too busy watching his mansion, the symbol of his reign, falling down before his eyes.

"What are the news, lieutenant?" Zod asked calmly but there was an underlying tension in voice.

"Everybody was evacuated from the building before it could fall and we retrieved any valuable objects of your possession out too." She paused for a moment. "But sir, we failed to capture them."

Zod closed his eyes, his jaw was tight and he did his best to keep his anger in check. Obviously, 'Them' meant the humans and the fact that the trap didn't work. He had actually considered the fact that they could escape from him on this plan but still, it rattled on his nerves that these insignificant weak people could keep mocking him without any form of punishment happening to them.

"How did it happen?"

"We... lost Nam-Ek" Aethyr's usual cold voice waved slightly at the mention of his name. "I don't know much more than that..."

Zod sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry for you, I know how much you cared about him." he said almost sincerely but the fact was that he was more sorry to lose the soldier rather than the man himself.

Aethyr's gaze fell down as she acknowledged his words. She was about to leave when another voice called for Zod. One soldier arrived at their level, his eyes wide and his skin pale.

"What is it?" Zod demanded without any gentleness in his tone.

"It's... the prisoner, Wayne..." The soldier swallowed and hesitated. "he escaped."

"WHAT?!" The king yelled. "You're going to tell me how it happened?!"

The man's body shook with fear as Zod was glaring daggers at him. "I... actually have no idea sir, we had moved him in another cell per your instructions and he was secure but when we went to check on him it was too late... he was gone."

"Damn it!" Zod's fist crashed on the small wall in granite. The rock exploded under the force of the blow. "You find him! Now! UNDERSTOOD?!" The soldier didn't have to be told twice, he nodded fearfully and took off.

Zod's anger was barely contained as he turned to Aethyr who was still there. "It's time to take the heavy weapons out of the closet." he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Activate Brainiac!"

 


	17. Unpunished

The sirens rang again over the city as once more, Zod's men had to fight against the resistance. They were powerful but the ex-prisoners had much more people among their lines and they kept recruiting more and more with each break out attack.

It all started with the humans and their plans were going well but it was just the beginning. Zod's reign had taken a blow but the kandorian army wasn't going to let their actions go unpunished. Soon, it would be time for them to face the wrath of Zod.

Zod, the man who had the power of life and death over the planet, was currently standing in the middle of the ruins of his mansion. The house that had once harbored his family was now destroyed. His son was gone and his wife, Faora, was missing.

Not that it was any of his concerns, Faora had always been a free electron in his world and even if she died, it was only going to make one loss that would be replaced.

"General?"

Zod turned around to meet a team of his closest soldiers. They were bringing him the guards who were responsible of an event that drove him mad.

"We've found them, sir." The man said respectfully as he eyed the two men brought in by his soldiers.

"Thank you, captain." Zod nodded at him as he approached the squad. "How are the guys doing on the front?"

"We've successfully aborted one hostile attempt to liberate prisoners one hour ago but they've come back with twice more men," The soldier responded. "We're losing the advantage."

Zod sighed and nodded. He looked over at the two frightened men in front of him before glancing back at the officer. "Tell your men to prepare the communication screens. I have an announcement to make."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Chloe was tipping on one of the powerful computers the resistance had stolen to the Kandorians when the doors of the main hall flew open. Her head jerked up and she grinned brightly when she saw AC standing there, looking well and alive.

"You're up, at last!" she greeted him lightly as she got up and hugged him.

Arthur didn't hesitate to reciprocate the hug as he spoke up. "Been awake for a few hours already but I wanted to get all my strength back before I set foot again on the land." he grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better." she smiled back as she walked away and back on her seat.

"Chloe, I've got some messag..." Oliver said as he walked in quick strides inside the room but stopped when he spotted the blond man in the room. "AC! Hey!" he said, surprised but delighted as he got into a handshake with the prince of the seven seas. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks dude!" AC returned the gesture happily. "I guess things got fun when I was out. I always had a pretty bad timing." he sighed dramatically.

Oliver chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, well..." he began as he walked back towards Chloe and bent a little. "Hey _you_ ," he whispered amorously as he kissed her lips quickly before glancing back at his friend. "things turned pretty bad actually." he grimaced.

AC shook his head at the fact that Chloe and Oliver had managed to forget about his presence for a minute before Oliver's words registered in his brain. He looked between the two of them and took in their grim expressions. He raised an eyebrow.

"That much?"

"Actually we got the kryptonian version of Ken and Barbie playing David Copperfield on us right before J'onn J'onzz and Kal swooped in and saved the day." Chloe announced, making grand gestures for emphasis.

AC's jaw dropped open and words failed him for a moment. "Run that by me again?" he deadpanned.

Oliver smirked. "Well that's the Sullivan's edited version, you know how she is!" he added as he rolled his eyes, a soft smile on his lips. "Aw!" he whined when Chloe smacked his arm playfully.

She glared at him for a second before looking back at her other friend. "The truth is that J'onn has managed to make Kal change sides. Or rather he thinks he has." she commented with a bitter tone. "I'm not convinced."

"Yeah, neither am I..." Oliver agreed.

AC's eyes widened. "You mean Kal has saved you and is now playing war against his own father?" he asked incredulously.

"Let's just say it's a long story..." The archer pursed his lips.

AC nodded. "Fair enough." he looked uncomfortable for a moment, shifting on his feet as he didn't how to say what was on his mind. Eventually, he sighed and decided to blurt it out. "How about... Bruce?"

Sadness crossed both of their faces for a second. Oliver swallowed thickly and answered when he felt Chloe's hand slipping in his. "He wasn't there..." he whispered, his eyes hurt and sad. "After you passed out we didn't have a chance to look for him, we had to get out or we'd have gotten caught."

AC closed his eyes for a second, feeling stupid for reminding them of their pain. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, AC." Chloe reassured him gently. "We're not going to let him down but right now we've drained down our resources."

The surfer sighed and put a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "We'll see him soon, I'm sure of that." he said confidently as he looked into the other man's eyes. Oliver nodded but said nothing else so AC thought it was his cue. "I gotta go working out a bit, we wouldn't want my irresistible body getting too crampy, right?" he tried for a joke, hoping to improve Chloe and Oliver's mood.

Chloe snorted. "Right, now go away and try to impress other women!"

AC laughed and left the room.

Chloe turned her chair around to face Oliver. "You alright?" she asked in concern as she held his hand a little tighter.

"Yeah..." Oliver responded but Chloe gave him an unimpressed look. He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine Chlo! Don't worry about me!"

"That's easy to say," she shook her head but smiled. He bent down and their lips met in a sweet kiss. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, uh I got a message from Naohek telling me that a team from another city had a nasty run-in with Zod's guys during an attack and they're heading there because going back to their place is too dangerous at the moment." Oliver explained.

Chloe nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna call Tess and we'll prepare ourselves to greet them." she said. Her attention was caught when the computer beeped.

She turned towards the screen and furrowed her brows, typing furiously on the keyboard. "The system caught an open communication from Kandor." She looked at his face for a second, seeing confusion on his face. She typed in a few more keys and suddenly a video feed showed up on the screen. Zod was shown with two men tied up and on their knees right behind him. He seemed to be making a speech.

"Can you get the sound?" Oliver asked as he looked attentively at the screen.

"Yeah..." she replied distractedly as she typed again. "I'll put it on the main screen, you better call the others." she looked at him.

He caught her eyes and nodded. The next second, he took off in the direction of the bedrooms. "Guys!" he knocked on every door. "There's something you need to see right now!"

One door opened and a semi-asleep Tess followed by Hal got out of their room. "What's going on?" she asked groggily.

"Come on!" Oliver said as the others joined them. "This is important."

They arrived in the main hall where Chloe was already standing arms wrapped around herself in front of the screen on the wall. A video of Zod standing on a tall tower making a speech was playing.

Oliver approached her, wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her closer to his body, she clung to him. "It's a live video feed." she said as her eyes stayed glued to the screen.

From the corner of the eye, Oliver saw J'onn followed by Kal-El joining them. He gave the latter a dark look and tightened his arm around Chloe. The other man had the decency to look away and look uncomfortable. Soon, Zod's words coming from the screen caught their attention.

" _... getting into dark times. Indeed, companions, our great nation is put at risk by power-driven and irresponsible terrorists. Kandor is they prey of incessant strikes from the enemy and that's an entire army preparing in the dark, awaiting for an opening to give us the final blow. Kandorians, I'm telling you! Me alive, you will never see the day our realm falls. Our opponents are powerful but so are we! If you allow me, my friends, to reunite our great army, the enemy will realize he has no chance against us!"_

_The crowd of people Zod had dominion over was shown on the screen. The place in front of Zod's stage was filled with people at the point it was black on the screen. At his words, the crowd erupted in war and victory cries, making the humans shiver._

_Zod held up his hands to motion to his people to let him talk._

" _Have I ever been the tyrant they're making me out to be? Did I ever let you down? Unprotected, left on your own?"_

_The crowd responded by a common 'no!' that left Zod grinning, satisfied._

" _People of Kandor! This is your choice! Your choice!" he declared solemnly. "Do you want me to let these hostile people turn us into their slaves? Or do you want me to lead our brave army to the war against the enemy?"_

_The spectators reacted strongly and loud cries of 'War! War! War! War!' were chanted for several minutes. When Zod had enough, he held up his hand again._

" _Unfortunately, the enemy is not always where we think he is... See, dear Kandorians, this morning I was told that one of the most dangerous figures of the so called 'Resistance' escaped from us with the help of two of my men who turned on us!" The crowd booed, Zod turned around and motioned to his guards.. The soldiers dragged the two prisoners closer to the edge of the tower they were standing on. They wrapped a rope around each of their necks before walking back behind Zod._

" _These two men are the traitors who helped Bruce Wayne run away from us!"_

In Alluria, the human's hearts skipped a beat at his words. Surprise filling their expressions as their hopes for Bruce rose shyly, not quite daring to believe what they heard.

" _What should be their punishment? Life or ... death?" The kandorians didn't hesitate even for a second their lust for blood had been unsatisfied for months since the fights in the arena had been suspended because of the human's evasion. 'Death! Death! Death!'_

_The sentenced men on the screen shook violently with fear as they both screamed for mercy but it was no use. Zod gave the signal and two soldiers stabbed blue kryptonite daggers in their backs before pushing them over the edge._

_They fell with terrified cries that made the humans' skins crawl. Soon, the ropes got tight and stopped their fall, strangling them. They watched helplessly as the two men fought vainly in agony against the rope. But it wasn't over, a few moments later the two of them were shot with sprays of kryptonite bullets beyond recognition._

_The ropes were cut and the dead bodies hit the ground. The crowd went hysterical and ran for them, people were fighting over their corpses as if they were trophies._

" _This is a direct message to the resistance..." Zod's face appeared in close up. "You're next!" His people cheered again and the screen went black._

* * *

The video feed was cut from Kandor's end and the large screen showed no more than just an automatic message _'searching for video feed'_ , there was nothing to see. Yet, the group stood there in silence; rooted at their spot by the horror of what they'd just seen.

They felt as if the silence lasted for hours while it was only a few minutes since Zod's face left the screen. It went on until the point it became sickeningly unbearable. They had nothing to say.

Their hopes had risen until the point they came to believe they could eventually take Zod down and give everyone a chance to go back home, where they belonged. Now, after seeing this display of power, violence and cruelty, they weren't so confident in their ability to reverse the odds of this world.

They believed strongly in their own power and until today most of their attacks in Kandor had gone nicely. Now they realized that Zod had led them to believe he wasn't as strong as they first thought. They knew that from now on, he was going to strike back at them and it wouldn't be pretty.

However, maybe everything wasn't lost. Zod had announced Bruce had escaped. _Escaped_! Was it true? They didn't know, how could they? It could be another trick but if it were true, if there was only a small possibility that it was real, then they would get the chance to see their friend again. Maybe Bruce Wayne wasn't meant to die here on Sedna.

Kal-El was just as horrified as his new-found allies, it was like he saw, _really_ saw, for the first time the real Zod and through him, he saw who he had been himself. A monster. Disgust crept over him, he felt sick for what he had seen and for what he had done not so long ago. If J'onn hadn't taken him away he would have become like Zod. He didn't know exactly how his Martian friend had done it but he was grateful. At this very moment, Kal-El promised to himself he was never going to allow himself to become like Zod. That would mean following the rules, second-guessing himself from time to time and accept that there were people in need at every corner of the galaxy and that these people weren't weak, just unfortunate but at least he would be a better man.

The young alien shifted on his feet and swallowed heavily as he tried to find the best words he was going to say. He struggled with himself for a moment but caught J'onn's gaze who nodded at him as if he knew what was going on inside his head. Eventually, he cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. He felt the urge to look down as he met the gazes of people he'd once enjoyed torturing. "He's trying to scare you," he began slowly feeling strange at their surprised expressions. "I know him, he's getting desperate because you're stronger than he thought you were and he's beginning to realize you can take him down..." he paused to take a long breath to calm his nervousness. "He's afraid and he refuges himself in his own violence. I know it because that's what I'd do, he trained me to be like him."

"Oh, trust me, we know it!" Hal snapped. "Perhaps better than anyone we know who you were!"

Kal-El looked down in shame and he wished he could undo his past actions. When he looked up again, there were tears in his eyes. He forced himself to look into each of their faces before he said the words he knew they deserved to hear. "I'm sorry..." he whispered sadly. He opened his mouth to say more but a loud horn sounded outside, pulling everyone in the room out of their silence.

"It's the guys from Arvanneth coming back." Chloe murmured.

That pulled the humans out of their state of surprise and half-shock caused by Kal-El's words. Silently, they fell into motion and one by one left the room in the direction of the double doors to meet outside the men and women who would probably need them. When Chloe and Oliver began to leave, Kal-El called after them. "Wait!"

The both of them tensed and turned around to see him approaching them hesitantly. Kal-El moistened his dry mouth several times. "Can I... Can I help?" he asked for the first time in his life, wanting to do something good for a change.

The two blonds looked surprised and exchanged a glance for a second before looking back at him, they nodded slowly but didn't say anything else as they left.

Kal-El stood still at his spot watching them go, he sighed deeply as he realized it was only the first step towards forgiveness and reconciliation.

"I'm proud of you Kal-El" J'onn said behind him. "It wasn't easy and there is still a long way to go before you get the privilege to earn their trust but that's only the beginning. You're on the good path at last." He put a hand on his shoulder and motioned for him to come with him. "Let's help downstairs." he said.

* * *

"Do you think he really changed?" Oliver asked as he cleaned the wounds of one man. "You alright?" he asked him.

"Yeah, thanks." the man nodded.

"I'm beginning to think he has." Chloe answered as she glanced at Kal-El who was busy helping people get out of the truck. "Look at him." she said. "He gave up his powers and followed us here and right now he's helping. That's not something a spy would do." she pointed out. "And there is something about him that isn't here anymore, he looks less confident, less cold, there isn't that dangerous glint in his eyes anymore."

Oliver looked over at the man in question and sighed. "I know, I realize that too but don't expect me to get all buddy-buddy with him." he told her while scowling at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to forgive him either." Chloe agreed and they both looked at each other, smiling softly. "Right now we've got other preoccupations than him. We've also got to send Bart do a tour of all our bases to see if Bruce is at one of them." she said as she looked back at the wounded man she was taking care of. "Don't move and relax." she told the alien gently.

Oliver looked with worry as a bright light emanated from her hands and covered the wound on the man's stomach. Soon, the blood was disappearing with the injury and she was barely refraining a hiss of pain. The wounded man looked amazed as he touched his now repaired skin. "Wow." he exclaimed.

Chloe smiled as she already felt the pain subsiding. She looked over at her boyfriend's tormented gaze and smiled softly at him. "I'm okay." she touched his arm reassuringly. He nodded and kissed her slowly, drawing it out for a moment.

"I'm glad." he said as he dropped another kiss to her lips. "I love you." he whispered to her.

Her chest warmed at his words and she smiled genuinely. "I love you too." she responded as he dropped his forehead on hers, she closed her eyes and forgot about everyone except Oliver for a moment.

They were broken out of their loving daze when shouts were heard. They opened their eyes and saw a woman who was among the people in the truck yelling and shoving at Kal-El who stood there just taking every blow as if he deserved it.

" _You monster_!" the hysterical woman punched him with all the force she could muster, making him fall to his knees.

"I'm sorry," Kal-El's words were a broken whisper as the tears flowed down his cheeks.

"She was your daughter, your _daughter_!" she kept yelling, unseeing of the group of people amassing around them. "You let her die!" there was a strain in her voice that expressed all the pain she felt.

"Oh god!" Kal-El hid his face behind his hands and sobbed, unable to face the wrath of the woman he hurt so much in the past.

"You don't deserve to live!" Her body began to sway because of her strong emotions but she managed to grab a sharp object from the ground and point it in his direction. The young kryptonian saw it but didn't move away, on the contrary, he opened his arms purposefully encouraging her to kill him.

 _After all that would only be justice_ , he thought as he felt the blade poking at his neck and saw her face contorted with pain that was a result of his actions. _Do it_ , he said in his mind, _spare the pain I might cause to other people in the future. Do it, I deserve it!_

"Whoa there!" A voice broke the silence and soon Kal-El felt the sharp blade being removed from his neck, only leaving a trail of blood dripping from the spot of his skin that was damaged in the process. He opened his eyes to see the woman who had his life between her hands only seconds ago, sobbing her eyes out in the arms of Tess while Hal stood close, the sharpened rock still in his hand.

Kal-El stood up slowly, his heart clenched painfully at the sight. "I..." he breathed shakily. "I'm sorry." he felt stupid for being unable to say anything else but he meant it and he wished now more than ever that he could undo the past. Ashamed of himself, he tried to ignore as much as he could the angry looks he was getting from the people around him as he pushed through the crowd and got away from them under the tormented look of J'onn J'onzz.

Hal watched him go for a moment before he turned to see the woman still in Tess's arms crying until her strength gave out. He met Tess's eyes and gently nodded towards the hotel where he knew there would be spare rooms for her to get the female alien in.

Tess nodded back and helped the woman walk in the building as Hal sighed deeply and joined Chloe and Oliver who had seen the scene from a distance.

"What was that?" Oliver asked first when Hal came to their level.

"From what I gathered..." Hal shook his head in disbelief. "The woman had been one of Kal's..." he looked over at Chloe and rethought of his words. "victims." he finished. "She got pregnant and gave birth to his child in the prisons where the little girl died sometime later." He closed his eyes for a second as he tried to imagine the kind of pain t must have been for her.

Chloe gasped and Oliver's arms were wrapped around her protectively. He knew Kal-El had been twisted but _this_ , was beyond cruelty, it was pure barbarity. And the fact that it could have happened to Chloe made his stomach clench painfully. He held her a little tighter to remind himself that she was there safe and sound.

Chloe looked up from his chest a few moments later, her eyes shining with unshed tears because she realized that her encounter with Kal could have gone a lot worse and this woman hadn't had her luck.

"Hal," she spoke. "Give her the most comfortable room we have on the second floor, please." she paused and swallowed thickly to keep her emotions in check. "I don't want her anywhere near him, make sure she's got someone with her all the time, a woman preferably." she added as she made a mental note to check on the woman herself to see if she can do anything to make things better for her.

"Definitely," Oliver agreed. "I can only hope Kal is seriously suggesting committing suicide right now." he said heatedly as his emotions went for the woman in pain and had nothing but hatred for the man who once was Zod's heir.

"I'll do that." Hal replied, he gave Chloe a concerned look for a second but was reassured when she nodded at him, signaling she was fine. He looked over at Oliver who nodded at him and left, tossing the rock in his hand away while he walked in the direction of their main building.

The second they were alone, Oliver turned towards Chloe and searched her eyes. "You okay?" he whispered almost urgently.

Chloe smiled softly through her tears at his evident concern for her. "I'm guess I just realized how incredibly lucky I was." she murmured back as she looked deep into his eyes. "I feel terrible for her. I mean I get it, it could have been me but it wasn't and it's killing me that there's nothing I can do for her right now, I..." she paused and blew out a shaky breath when she realized she was babbling. She saw Oliver getting even more worried and sighed. "I just wish we could have done something to stop it from happening." she finished as she played with his scarf.

Oliver put a finger under her chin to make her look up at him. "We can't change the past but we'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen ever again." he assured her. "You've got me, right? We're a team we'll do it together. Nothing will happen to you or anyone else for that matter." he promised sincerely.

Chloe's face softened at his words and she dropped her head on his chest, just wanting to feel him holding her because no matter which world they lived in or the danger hovering over them, it was the only place she felt truly safe.

* * *

The two lovers were so focused on each other as they hugged that they didn't see the being watching them from afar. His eyes scanning everything happening in the city from the people working on future plans in the buildings, to the ones working out and preparing their weapons. Eventually, he focused back on the couple and evaluated their importance to the resistance.

His advanced knowledge was put in use for a few second before a fully worked out plan appeared in his mind. He smirked and watched the two humans for a few more seconds a they kissed lovingly before he took off in the air and flew away all the while thinking the same thing:

The resistance would soon discover why his enemies feared him so much, the time would come.

The Brainiac was going to take his time.

 


	18. Insiders

_Several weeks later..._

Kal-El was pacing in his room anxiously when J'onn entered. The younger man instantly froze and turned around to face the Martian, looking at him expectantly. He was afraid the humans decided he wasn't worth their time and casted him out.

It had been one week and four days since he got yelled at by a woman he'd hurt when he was still under Zod's influence. He realized that was the first time his past actions came back to hurt him personally, and they did it badly. He would forever blame himself because he could have done something to save his daughter and her mother but he hadn't, because at the time he didn't care. He had thought of himself as invulnerable and powerful.

Now, he saw the harsh reality as it should have been all along. He had been cruel and merciless. It was strange to him because only a few months separated him from that time. He was now a completely different person thanks to J'onn but he still felt his own darkness lurking inside of him, just waiting for the right moment to come out and turn him back into his old self. There was a part of him that would never change, he could never erase the lessons Zod taught him nor could he forget his own indifference towards the pain he had inflicted to all those people.

He could remember their faces, most of them came back to haunt him in his own dreams, there had been so many of them. All of the horrors he was responsible for, he was amazed that he was still breathing. There he was, hidden inside a city surrounded by meteor rocks that could kill him because his enemies, people that hated him, were kind enough to accept him with them because the man who raised him would kill him without hesitation now that he knew he failed to turn him into a younger version of his own self. How twisted could the universe be?

Ever since his run-in with the woman, a week and four days ago, people in Alluria were getting more and more hostile to him with each passing day. He couldn't remember the number of times these ex-prisoners had tried to punch him. Whenever he tried to help he was looked at as if he would turn back into his old self and attack the resistance. He couldn't blame them for that, he deserved all of it.

However, a few hours earlier, tension had broken out and turned into a fight that involved him and two men who had said they were related to the woman who had lost their child. Victor Stone had been nice enough to come to his rescue and stop the fight before anyone could get hurt but people were talking. A large group of them had come to ask the humans who had the leading position over the resistance to expel him out of Alluria. They had locked themselves up into a room for hours and right now, he was about to learn their decision from J'onn J'onzz.

"Don't make me wait, J'onn," the kryptonian almost pleaded his mentor. "If I have to go tell me and I'll be on my way out..." He could feel his heart racing as he awaited for the news.

"Calm down, Kal-El you're safe." the Martian told him. "They've decided to keep you there at unanimity. Kicking you out was never an option."

The other man felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest and he could breathe easier now that he knew he wasn't to leave. "Thank you." he breathed deeply, relief washing over him.

"Don't worry, Kal-El," J'onn put a hand on his shoulder in a supportive gesture. "Keep your head down for a little while and they'll eventually accept you like I do."

Kal-El nodded but didn't seem convinced. "I only wanted to help..." he whispered.

"I know." J'onn interrupted him before he could say anything else. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to prove yourself soon. Okay?"

"Okay." the Kryptonian nodded.

 

* * *

 

Chloe and Oliver were on the balcony, watching the sunset when J'onn came in from Kal-El's bedroom.

"So, how did it go?" Chloe asked first, her arms wrapped around her boyfriend.

"He's relieved." J'onn replied. "And grateful. What you did for him is beyond every hopes he had and he knows it."

"We're only being fair." Chloe said sincerely.

"We are," Oliver agreed. "but the only reason he wasn't locked up from the beginning was because you believe in him and we owe you our lives, J'onn."

"You don't owe me anything, Oliver." the Martian shook his head. "And I know how you feel about him but I wish you could see how regretful he is for everything he did."

"You can't blame us for being resentful for what he did to us." Oliver's arms tightened around Chloe unconsciously.

"Oliver!" Chloe gave him a warning look.

"No Chloe, that's alright." J'onn interrupted her. "Your reaction is natural Oliver, and I don't blame you. But someday you'll realize he has changed sides."

He looked at the two of them for a moment, a friendly smile pulling at his lips despite the fact they had just disagreed once again over Kal-El. "Have a good night." he told them before leaving.

The couple watched him go, puzzled by his imperturbable niceness towards them. Oliver felt slightly guilty at the fact that he kept refusing to J'onn that Kal-El could be trusted. He had almost yelled at him yet, the alien was still being nice to him.

"This guy is amazing," he said in bewilderment.

Chloe smiled and looked up at him. "Yeah," she agreed. "He's definitely a keeper."

They both shifted to hold each other closer as the sky was filled in red and purple from the sunset which was close to its end.

"Do you think we're being... unfair to him?" Oliver asked, feeling unsure of his decisions on the matter.

Chloe sighed. "Maybe," she admitted, her brows furrowed. "but he deserves it, and it's not like we decided to make him fight in an arena." she added pointedly.

"Right." he nodded. "At least we don't have this problem anymore."

Chloe watched him closely and knew he wanted to say more but apparently, he didn't want to let it out. "You know I'm beginning to know you better than myself and I can tell that there's something bothering you." she lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "Tell me." she said softly.

Oliver struggled for a minute before he gave in. "I just wonder..." he began. "What would have happened if one of us died in the arena? We almost lost Bart, and Tess had been brave enough to defy the guards to fight there too. What if one of them had died during that time? What if _you_ had died?" he questioned fearfully. "I couldn't take it."

"Shhh.." Chloe stopped him when she saw him getting caught up in his emotions. "Don't torture your mind with ' _What ifs_ ', it's not worth it. No one died and that's what you need to keep in mind."

Oliver nodded. "I wish Bruce were here to see you getting wise." he teased sadly.

"He must have rubbed off on me." she teased back, smiling softly at him. "I'm sure he's fine wherever he is."

"I hope so." Oliver said before he bent and captured her lips with his in a heated kiss. They made their kiss last until air became a necessity before they broke it. Chloe breathed heavily as she let her head rest against his chest. Closing her eyes for a second to savor the moment.

When she opened them, she glanced around at the ground twenty floors lower. She watched the people down there walking around to check for any danger, others were just discussing normally. If she ignored the weapons and the green rocks from afar, she could imagine they were all in a big city where people were living without any dictator to threaten them.

She was about to glance back at Oliver when something caught her eye. She watched it more closely and realized that someone was walking in the direction of the city from the kryptonite covered zones. It couldn't be a kryptonian, not unless they had a blue K ring but they couldn't take it off even in the safe zone. It had to be someone else.

"Oliver, look." she said, a hint of urgency in her voice. she felt him shift behind her and look in the direction she pointed.

"What the hell is that?" he asked before shouting for the soldiers guarding the area. "Hey! Watch out, Someone's intruding!" he pointed at the mysterious figure who was crossing the safe zone border.

Immediately, the guards ran to the intruder, weapons at hand and ready to fire at any sign of hostility. Chloe and Oliver ran down the stairs as the soldiers shouted for the person take off their hood. The cloaked figure was still for a few moments and the two blonds arrived down in time to see the person's two hands gripping their hood and taking if off.

Their eyes widened as they stared back at Bruce Wayne's face.

 

* * *

 

"You're sure you're alright?" Oliver asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, I've had time to heal my wounds, don't worry." he smiled at his spiritual brother as they arrived at the room they had chosen for him. Bruce's reunion with his friends just happened minutes earlier and everything still felt surreal. He still needed time to process everything but he felt extremely happy and relieved to see all of his friends once again.

"J'onn is here, he has cleaned up the room for you." Chloe said as the Martian walked out of the room at the same moment.

"Bruce." the alien's friendly voice greeted him as he extended his hand. "I was sure you were going to be alright."

"Thanks J'onn," Bruce shook his hand and smiled gratefully. He saw the Martian's brows furrow faintly and he gulped when he realized the other man was looking into his mind. He was still for a moment, fearing his reaction but was surprised when J'onn smiled warmly at him.

"Come on in." the alien grinned and motioned for the three of them to enter. "Chloe?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come with me? There's something I have to show you." he asked as he saw her look over at Oliver. "I'm sure Oliver can fill Bruce in on the local news." he said gently.

J'onn actually saw what happened to Bruce when he was away and he wanted him to talk to Oliver alone about it, because there was something that Oliver would probably cope with easier if he were alone. He had a tendency to heat up easily when Chloe was around, that was normal after all that happened to them.

During that time, he wanted to get Chloe to sit down for a little while and help her mind to fight the post-traumatic effects of her alone encounter with Kal. He knew she still was afraid of him at some level and he wanted her to get rid of that fear so she could be more confident.

"Alright." Chloe agreed. "See you later." she told Oliver, kissing him lightly and hugging Bruce before leaving with J'onn.

 

* * *

 

"Bruce..." Oliver began but he didn't know how to ask him.

The two men were in Bruce's room, Oliver was close to the window he had opened so the room could freshen up. Bruce, on the other hand was sat on the bed, busy removing the large cloth he wore to hide his identity when he went to Alluria.

The dark-haired man saw his friend failing to find his words and decided to end his torture. "You want to know what happened, right?" he asked and saw Oliver nod slowly so he sighed and rubbed his neck before telling him about the events of that fateful day.

"I was... I was at Condo's side when I got caught." Flashes of painful memories he had tried to bury deep inside his mind came back to play right before his eyes. He felt the familiar pain and guilt that had wrenched him coming back. "He died in front of me." he whispered. "His last words were for you." despite the sadness marring his face, there was a faint grin pulling at his lips as he remembered.

"How so?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Well... If I remember well, I think he said and I quote: 'Tell Oliver to ask Chloe out or I'll come back to kick his ass.'" he told his friend with an imitation of Condo's voice.

Oliver laughed at that. He remembered the conversations he had had with the alien and every time, the other man had made him see that he had been in the wrong. "That sounds like him." he said.

"That's right!" Humor lit up his eyes for a second before sobering up. His eyes closed and his head fell down slightly as he went on. "I wish I could have done something..." he sighed and did his best not to let his guilt overwhelm him. "After my capture, they locked me up in a cell in the undergrounds of the mansion. I spent so many days there, I don't even remember how much time has passed since then-"

"One month." Oliver interrupted him. Bruce looked up and their gazes met. "I think you spent three weeks in detention and then, a week ago we learned that you escaped."

"Yeah... well about that..." The older man cleared his throat nervously. "I'll explain." he finished. "Like I said, I was in this cell and I got tortured by Zod who was doing everything he could to break me. He was furious. Everyone escaped and I killed a lot of his men. He wanted me to tell him a way to enter Alluria and capture you again." he explained. "Like you know, there is none but even if there was, I wouldn't have told him." Bruce promised him and Oliver knew he meant it. "So he spent all of his time torturing me and I'm sorry but I won't even tell you about the details, I think you had your fair share of Zod's evilness." the billionaires shared an understanding look. They both knew how cruel Zod could be.

"Anyway, at the end I was weak and exhausted, I thought I was going to die there." Bruce continued his explanation, feeling his emotions coming back he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Eventually, I was rescued."

"Rescued?" Oliver asked.

"By a woman close to Zod who... doesn't believe in him anymore." Bruce detailed. "She hasn't trusted him for awhile. She saved me, I owe her my life..."

Oliver watched his face closely. "She's the one who hid you all this time, right?" Bruce nodded and there was an expression on his face Oliver wasn't expecting. "Did something happen?"

"We became... close." Bruce replied hesitantly. "I came to care a lot about her, actually."

Oliver was silent for a minute. "You slept with her?" he whispered, his expression unreadable. When Bruce nodded, he sighed. "Are you sure you can trust her? She's from Zod's side. What if she's using you to get at us?"

"Oliver!" the older man exclaimed, feeling defensive. "I know her, she wouldn't do that!"

"Bruce, I don't want to be rude but.. are you truly sure of that? I mean you've only known her for two weeks tops." Oliver felt horrible for asking these questions but he had a strong sense of prudence when it came to kryptonians.

"You don't understand Ollie, she would never do that, She's different!" Bruce almost shouted his words. The two men were silent for a few moments, doing nothing but just looking at each other.

Oliver now clearly realized how deeply Bruce's rescuer had gotten under his skin, he cared about her that was obvious judging by the way he fiercely defended her.

"Look uh... I'm sorry Bruce." Oliver apologized. "I didn't want to..." his voice trailed off as he stood up slowly and walked towards him.

"It's okay, Ollie I know you can't trust anyone easily right now." Bruce reassured as he imitated him. They both got into a brotherly hug and only then, Oliver truly felt the relief to have his friend back.

"Get some rest, Bruce." Oliver said. "You deserve it, bro." he winked at his long-time friend as he walked for the door.

"You too brother."

 

* * *

 

Hours later, in the dead of the night, Oliver joined Chloe at the computer room. The first had his mind set on what Bruce had been through during his capture and couldn't sleep so he decided to help Chloe who despite his will was refusing to sleep. She was currently trying to find a way to end the war with the least casualties possible.

"Right now we've got almost as much people willing to fight as Zod," Chloe countered. "The thing is that we're not powerful enough to take them down even with kryptonite..." she sighed. "And I don't see another way to win the war, that's the problem!"

"We have to wait," Oliver replied as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder, peaking at the screen which flashed pictures of several spots of Kandor they took during their missions as well as an old map of the pre-Zod era. "We can only beat them if we're more than them, remember the fight we had in the cafeteria."

"True but we have to outnumber them by something like fifteen on one kryptonian, so..." she opened a console on the screen and began to type on the keyboard. "If we set the ratio of, let's say twelve over one and considering we recruit about ninety people a day..." she drew her last word as she calculated. "we'd reach the necessitous number in..." her face fell when she saw the date. "one year.." she looked up at Oliver and pouted. "That... _sucks_!"

The archer exhaled, defeated. "I know baby but what else can we do?" he said as they locked gazes.

"I'll find another way." she answered resigned as her head turned back towards the screen, a determined look on her face.

"Or..." Oliver said and waited for her to look at him. "Rather than working yourself to death, you could get in bed with me and enjoy some quality time with your favorite hero." he proposed, grinning at the idea.

"I'd love to." Chloe grinned back and kissed him lightly before turning back towards the screen. "but I can't do that right now." she added with that devious smile of hers that told Oliver she was teasing him but he also knew she wanted to do everything she could to end the conflict as soon as possible.

"At least I tried." he kissed her cheek before walking for the door. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me!" he winked at her one last time and left.

"G'night Ollie, I won't be long." she promised but she felt that there was a strong possibility she'd stay up longer than planned considering the amount of research she had to do.

"Already heard that one before!" she heard him say from afar and bit her lip to try to suppress her grin but failed miserably.

Things with Oliver were now perfect and that was probably the only good thing she had in this world. She loved him even more with each passing day and didn't see that changing anytime soon. He was everything she had always wanted and she hoped it would work between them.

Sighing, she tried not to think of him and his tempting proposal and focus on work. She had always been very career-driven and had often been called a workaholic and she didn't mind because that was mostly true. Now was no exception, she had a job to do and she'd do it.

A few minutes later, she was utterly focused on her task when a faint wind blew behind her. Figuring it was Oliver opening the door, she grinned. "Already missing me?" she teased and turned around. Her smile slipped from her face when she saw a man she had never seen standing here, his face emotionless. "What are you doing here?" she asked gently, thinking he was one alien who had been freed recently.

"Striking the enemy where it hurts." The man replied without any more emotion in his voice than on his face.

Chloe didn't have time to react, the next second she felt his hand wrap around her throat and lift her into the air with one arm as if she weighed nothing. "What the... ah!" she gasped when she felt his hand tighten painfully, cutting her air flow.

Panicking, she struggled against his grip vainly until she saw the large glass bottle on the table out of the corner of the eye. Quickly, her hand reached and provoked the object's fall. It crashed on the ground loudly, pieces of glass flying everywhere.

Her lungs began to burn seriously and her vision blurred as she felt herself slipping away. Her survival instinct kicked in and she struggled against him with all she could muster but it was useless, he didn't even flinch when she kicked him. She thought she was about to die when suddenly she was dropped on the ground.

She gasped several times to bring oxygen back in her lungs and blinked furiously until her vision cleared. She saw Oliver towering over the form of her attacker who was on the ground too. "What do you think you're doing?!" Oliver yelled.

The man stood up effortlessly before grabbing Oliver quickly. "No one stands up against Zod." he said before throwing Oliver away like he were a rag doll. The hero crashed on the wall before hitting the ground, shouting in pain.

"Ollie!" Chloe screamed but he wasn't responding.

Zod's hit-man turned back towards her. Her eyes widened and she trembled with fear when she saw she had nothing to defend herself with. Apparently, the man was a kryptonian but how did he cross the kryptonite? How could he use his abilities in the city when there was kryptonite everywhere?

Suddenly, she felt wind all around her and heard the window crack, she realized she wasn't in the hall anymore but outside, right in front of the hotel where the night was pitch black. That wasn't right, there should be guards and lights all around, where were they?

She was looking around, trying to decipher where the man had gone when two large hands dropped on her shoulders from behind. She couldn't help the scream that escaped her when she turned around. It went worse when she realized that the hands belonged to none other than Kal-El. Her instinctive fear came back from the mental box she and J'onn had put it in and she took several steps back, staring at him with her eyes wide with fear. "Don't touch me!" she yelled.

"Sorry!, I'm sorry!" Kal-El stopped to catch his breath as he stayed in his spot, knowing that she wouldn't want him to move. "I'm just here to help!" he promised. "I heard those noises and when I went where you were Oliver was on the ground and you were falling down the window." he explained all in one breath.

Chloe nodded and calmed down a little when her reason told her Kal-El wasn't going to hurt her. "There was this guy who attacked us." she explained as she looked around. "He disappeared."

"Okay," the kryptonian replied and checked the horizon. "Let's get inside, it isn't safe... urgh!" he gulped and doubled over in pain suddenly. Confused, he felt a presence beside him before a hand caught his head by his hair and painfully tugged it back.

The attacker's face fell into his sight. "Hello Kal, it's been a long time." the man said and Chloe saw for the first time an emotion on his face: smugness.

Kal-El gasped in pain and surprise. "Brainiac!" he exclaimed before he was thrown away in the night. Chloe only heard his cries of pain when he hit something but she didn't have time to think about it because Brainiac was walking towards her purposefully.

With each step forward he took, she stepped backwards until her back hit the wall of a building. She didn't say anything and didn't know what to do. There was nothing within her reach that could help her and... "No!" she cried when the android's hand slapped her.

She was expecting another one to come but she only heard the whistling sound of an arrow being released and then slicing into flesh. She opened her eyes to see Brainiac looking down at his abdomen. She looked in amazement as his hand wrapped around the arrow and tugged it out of his body without expressing any pain.

He lifted it to his face's level and studied it with interest. His eyes caught hers and he smirked before he turned to the place from which the arrow came. Chloe followed his gaze and saw a bruised Oliver holding his crossbow and looking more than surprised at his lack on efficiency on the alien machine.

"Ollie!" she screamed when she saw the android shooting lasers in his direction. The fire flew in the air on its way to Oliver but when it was about to reach him, it disappeared into thin air as if there was an invisible shield around Oliver and the other humans who were just coming out of the building.

Brainiac saw his lasers failing to reach his target but Chloe noticed he didn't look surprised. Instead, there was that cold and constant smirk on his face. He looked up to the hotel's roof where stood a shadowy figure, watching over them protectively with two shining red eyes.

"The great J'onn J'onzz!" Brainiac exclaimed loudly so J'onn could hear him. "Fallen protector of the young Kal-El, husband of a murdered wife and father of a dead daughter! With all these failures in your life do you think you can stop me?" His words were hurtful and aimed to goad him but the man stayed silent and unmoving on his roof.

"You're far, far away from your home, Martian. Do you even know what happened there? Do you think your family had a quick and painless death?" Everyone stood frozen as the machine delivered lines after lines of a horrible past.

Chloe, however, was looking everywhere in hope to find something that could help her. She looked down at Brainiac's abdomen and saw a black liquid slowly dripping out of the hole created by Oliver's arrow. She realized he must have used the one made of that piece of alien steel they found at the military base.

"Darkseid had reserved a very special treatment for them both!" A cruel laugh escaped him. "I can't tell you every detail unfortunately but I was told his soldiers enjoyed their time with them and made it last until the last _second_!" From afar, the Brainiac could see the Martian's body shake for a moment before he got a grip on himself but it was too late. He knew he had hit his target. "It will happen again! These humans, they're like your new family, right?" he called at J'onn who did his best to stay still because he knew that Brainiac wanted him to get mad but he couldn't, he wasn't powerful enough to take him down.

"They will die, one by one! Starting with this damsel in distress right here." Brainiac's head turned back towards Chloe right as his eyes began to shoot fire again.

The young human's heart sped up as she heard the yells of her friends. "Never underestimate a damsel in distress!" she spat through gritted teeth and didn't give him the time to react when she plunged a sharp meteor-rock into his wound.

The android yelled in what she could assume was pain and she saw his eyes turn black as segments of code flew in them. A blinding light emanated from his injury and she hid her eyes with her arm, knowing she probably was about to die, she sent one last silent declaration of love to Oliver.

Right when Brainiac's scream intensified, she heard him being projected away as a strong body acted as a shield over her. There was a loud detonation and the man protecting her cried out in pain but didn't move.

Her ears were ringing for several minutes and she didn't move until she heard nothing but silence _._ When she opened her eyes, there was a thick smoke filling the air, making it impossible for her to see further than two feet away. The man who protected her wasn't there but she could still hear his pained groans as he shifted on the ground with difficulty.

Fumbling in the dark intensified by the smoke, she reached him and gasped when she saw that the man was no one else than Kal-El. There was already a large pool of blood under him and she noticed he was already fighting to stay awake.

"I saved you." his voice was weak and almost inaudible but she heard him and there was a small satisfied smile grazing his lips. "At last, I did something good here."

"You did." Chloe whispered. This was the moment she realized that he wasn't the man who wanted to kill Oliver, to rape her and so many other women anymore. Kal-El had truly changed and had just saved her life. They should be even now but she couldn't let him loose his blood and die in the middle of nowhere, that wasn't the type of woman she was.

"I'm gonna help you, don't move." she instructed him. She got up and looked around. There was nothing but the smoke surrounding them. However she could hear her friend's voices calling for her.

"We're here!" she yelled and did her best to clear the smoke so she could be seen. It wasn't long before she caught sight of J'onn's flashing red eyes followed by Oliver who rushed at her side.

"Chloe!" Oliver's voice filled her ears and she knew that it was going to be alright. She barely had time to realize what happened when his arms wrapped around her and he practically tackled her into a hug. "You're alright! You're alright!" he kept repeating as if to remind himself she wasn't hurt.

"I'm okay." He hid his head in her neck, breathing in her scent to calm himself. It had been a close call and there would probably be many more but the idea of losing her provoked a type of fear he'd only felt once in his life, right before the police officer told a five-year old boy his parents were dead.

Her hands lifted his head gently. There were unshed tears in his eyes when their gazes met and she was once again reminded of how much she mattered to him. It both warmed and broke her heart to see him like this. "He saved me."

Her whispered words made him realize that not everyone made it out unscathed. Both of their eyes fell on the unconscious form of Kal-El.

"He just passed out." said J'onn, knelt at his side. The humans could not see the emotion in his eyes, he hid it behind the red essence of his soul. Whether he admitted it or not, Brainiac had brought back memories he would have preferred to keep buried deep inside his mind. "He's dying."

A large group of people amassed around the scene, a deafening silence settled over them. Humans and aliens from different spots in the universe were reunited around the body of a man who once was their enemy and could have been their best friend, had they accepted him before. It was too late, Kal-El was gone at the moment he proved his true worth.

A sentiment of grief mixed with guilt seized them. Kal-El had been a man seeking redemption after the crimes he committed in the past. A redemption they refused to him because they would not believe that the monster raised by Zod had broken himself out of the mental chains the dictator viciously put in his mind. Kal and Kal-El were two different people and while the first had been mentally eradicated, the latter was physically gone forever.

"Wait!" J'onn's brows scrunched in concentration. "He's still there, I can _barely_ hear him but he's there," They could hear the evident hope in his voice. "He needs to heal, I'm flying him out of here."

"J'onn!" Oliver called stopped him from taking off with Kal-El in his arms. "Be careful."

The Martian gave him a curt nod, acknowledging the risks of leaving the safe haven created by the kryptonite but it was necessary if they wanted to save Kal-El.

"Go save him." Chloe added quietly. That was all the motivation he needed. The next second, J'onn was already in the sky, carrying his protégé away from the rocks which literally possessed the power of life and death in this world. The only hope that Rao's red rays would be enough to bring him back animated J'onn J'onzz.

 

* * *

 

The next morning found Oliver sitting on a chair in his bedroom, watching his lover sleeping as the first rays of the sun illuminated the room through the closed curtains. The faint light drew a thin line timidly on the wooded floor before slowly blossoming into a large stray of reddish color that crossed the room, reaching their bed until it found Chloe's asleep form.

Oliver watched in amazement as the rays enlightened her naked body only half covered by the blankets. The light and the shadows met at every curves, tracing patterns on her skin. She was clueless to the sight she made as her slumber was still deep but Oliver did not miss it.

He was sure it was the most beautiful sight he had ever had the chance to see. His mouth opened slightly at the scene in front of him and a warm feeling filled his chest. She was a vision, there was no other word for it. The light engulfed her petite form, creating a halo around her making her look like an angel.

She looked so peaceful in this moment, it took his breath away. Oliver knew he was incredibly lucky to have this angel in his life and he knew he almost lost her the other night. If Kal-El hadn't been there to save her, he'd be preparing her funerals right now. That thought made his heart tighten. What would he do without her?

That was the question that clouded his mind ever since he wake up almost an hour ago. He shouldn't be surprised that Brainiac had tried to kill her and not anyone else. He was a machine. He thought logically and had probably spied them for a while before he made his move. Brainiac had seen how important Chloe was to everyone, she was the brain of their team, their heart and their conscience. And God knows they needed her even more in this world which kept twisting their own sense of morality, without her they would have become cold-blooded murderers. Here they still killed people and she did too but always with a purpose. There was no blood spilled with no reason.

If Chloe ever was to die, Oliver was sure the team would die with her. They would lose their raison d'etre, and Oliver would lose his soul.

"Don't ever do that to me Sidekick." his words were thick with emotion as his eyes roamed over her, a look of adoration and fear in his eyes. He stood up and crossed the distance between them before quietly kneeling down at the bedside. He watched her face for a second before bringing his lips to her forehead in a caring kiss. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Oliver watched her stir slightly and shift on the bed, " _Ollie_ ," she whispered sleepily. A smile crept onto his face as he got up and walked for the door. He opened it silently and turned back, letting his eyes linger on her for a few more seconds before he stepped outside and closed the door.

 

* * *

 

The sound of footsteps reached Bruce's ears as he prepared breakfast for his friends. It wasn't as appetizing and copious as the food on Earth but they didn't have much choice and they had to make their food supplies last if they still wanted to eat in a few weeks. The human looked up to see Oliver walk into the room, a bright grin on his face.

"I take it Chloe's feeling well." Bruce greeted him, smiling back at him. "How're you doing?"

Oliver took the chair in front of him and prepared his food. "Chloe's sleeping like an angel," his wording made his grin deepen to the point he was sure he looked stupid thought, he didn't care. "and I'm good," he added as he tossed some food into his mouth. "You?"

"I'm fine," the older man replied as he witnessed Oliver's bright mood.

"Good," the blond nodded. "You didn't have to make us breakfast you know? That's a nice gesture."

"Well, I couldn't sleep so I decided to make myself useful for once," Bruce joked but his smile slipped when he saw the expression on the other man's face. "What?"

"Bruce, I'm so sorry!" Oliver exclaimed. "I come in with my stupid grin whereas you're still dealing with whatever you went through back then, I'm so sorry!" he repeated, feeling like a selfish asshole right now.

"Hey, relax Ollie!" Bruce reassured him as he put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure we went through the similar ordeal and you and I both know that's something we will never forget but that's the way it is, we have to move on. We can't change the past." Bruce felt like things between them were back to the way it used to be all these years ago before they lost sight of each other. He felt like he was the big brother explaining something to his younger counterpart. His face softened at the memories. "Now, you have to remember I had a week to recover and I'm alright now."

Bruce didn't elope on the events of that special week but what happened then had been one of the most wonderful experiences of his life and that was something he thought he would never have the chance to live after Zod's torture. He didn't say his ordeal at the hands of the dictator was history because he wasn't completely over it yet but he was going to be alright and there was no need to worry Oliver any further when there was no need for it.

"Okay, okay." the younger man nodded before making eye contact with his longtime friend. "but still, I'm sorry, Ow!" he whined when Bruce smacked him behind the head.

"I said don't be sorry!" the dark-haired hero sermonized him playfully. Both men grinned at each other for a moment, enjoying each other's presence. "Now, when I said I couldn't sleep, I was talking about what happened last night." Bruce's words were calm but reminded them both that things could have turned badly that fateful night.

"Oh," Oliver said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Do you think Kal-El's going to make it?" he asked, feeling bad about the man in question. He wasn't fair to him and he knew it.

"I don't know," Bruce answered honestly. "He seemed in pretty bad shape last night. Though if a person knew how to save him that would be J'onn." He was silent for a second, watching his friend's face. "You're feeling responsible for what happened to him, right?"

Oliver sighed. "I"m wondering if I haven't been too hard on him." he admitted. "I mean he claimed to have changed but I refused to trust him, I guess I believed it was a trick or something like that..."

"Look, Ollie..." Bruce began quietly. "I haven't been around to witness his sudden change of personality. To me, when I came back yesterday he was still the same monster who wanted us dead." He made sure to look into Oliver's eyes and went on. "But what I saw yesterday, what happened; It wasn't something the old Kal would have done. He did it with his own freewill and I think that makes him some kind of hero. But you're not responsible in any way." He finished firmly, gesturing with his hand to emphasize the point.

Oliver nodded again. Maybe last night wasn't Kal-El's way to try to prove something to him but Oliver still owed him a lot for saving Chloe and if he made it, he'd make sure Kal-El knew how grateful he was for protecting her against Brainiac.

He was about to talk when a bright red light in the sky caught his eye. Watching more closely through the window he saw something that could easily be J'onn's characteristic red trail. "Speaking of the devil," he said as he motioned toward the window.

Both men stood up and walked towards the balcony where J'onn would probably land when the sound of the computer beeping caught Bruce's attention. "I'll be right back." he said as he moved towards the machine. On the screen, a black console popped up with a message in it:

_[Abnormal seismic activity in Alluria's area, What's happening?_

                                                                                                        _F.]_

 


	19. End of an era

__Abnormal seismic activity in Alluria's area, What's happening? F.  
...__  
 _ _-Brainiac, He's dead.__  
 _ _...__  
 _ _-It's still in progress.__  
 _ _...__  
 _ _-What?__  
…  
 _-We're all gonna die soon._

**< ><><><><>**

**NINE MONTHS LATER**

Oliver's eyes opened slowly when he felt Chloe shifting in his arms. They were both in bed, resting as much as they could before the clock would set off to let them know it was time.  
"It will all be over soon." Oliver whispered as he kissed the top of her head.  
Chloe nodded. "One way or another." she replied, uncertain of their possibility of winning.  
Oliver pursed his lips but didn't say anything. He couldn't blame her for doubting, he was in the same situation. They didn't have much of a choice though, it was now or never.

A few months earlier Bruce's rescuer who turned out to be his contact from Zod's side had sent them information about a suspicious series of tremors that was running all over the planet and had been for months. It turned out Sedna's time was counted and it was just a matter of weeks before it exploded.

Few details had been revealed but they knew they had to act quickly or everyone was going to die here. The following days consisted in incessant raids on Zod's city in hope to recruit a maximum of soldiers before they rang the bell that would mark the time of the final fight.

That time was now minutes away, that was the reason the two young humans decided to lock themselves up in their room so they could spend as much time together as possible before the battle.

Bruce on the other hand was restless and extremely worried as he paced nervously in the conference room of the hotel. Unlike his companions, he couldn't wait to get back to Kandor. Chloe and Oliver had locked themselves up in their room after giving a strict order not to disturb them the time being.

Hal and Tess had imitated them while Victor was nowhere to be seen and AC was taking a swim in the ocean to bottle up as much strength as possible. Finally, Bart was running all over the planet, spreading the word among the different factions of the resistance, informing them of the final battle.

As much as this last act of war was necessary to get out of Zod's claws, no one in the resistance truly wanted to fight. The plan they came up with was rushed, risked and more importantly, it was going to cause the death of hundreds if not thousands of people. Still, they had no choice. Either they fought and freed several thousands of people at the cost of numerous casualties or, they did nothing and waited for death to come.

On Bruce's case, things were even more complicated: He was worried about Faora. She was the one who informed him of Sedna's situation and without her the resistance would still think they had all the time in the world to end Zod's reign. They'd lost the contact with each other several months ago but everytime he had the possibility, Bruce rushed in Kandor to try to find her. He had tried over thirty times and hadn't been able to locate her.

Bruce Wayne was worried. Truly worried. He even came to wonder lately if Faora was still alive, if Zod hadn't found out and killed her in revenge. The thought of it scared him more than he thought it would and even if he didn't want to acknowledge it yet, he knew what that meant.

That last battle was his only chance to find her and get her the farthest away from Zod possible. He couldn't fail. That was why he was now pacing impatiently in this conference room with only this question to occupy his mind:

Where was Faora?

**< ><><><><>**

Footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent corridor. Red rays piercing through the small windows lit up Zod's face as he walked down the aisle purposefully. As he stepped towards his goal, a memory came obscuring his mind for a moment.

_-Flashback-_

_The large room was filled with a thick, palpable tension. Haek-tor swore a knife could cut through it. The experimented scientist was no stranger to the incredible nervousness his coworkers felt at the moment. This was one of the moments he regretted ever working for a temperamental tyrant. Zod was a great leader and Haek-tor supported every decision he made. In fact, everything was working perfectly until the humans evasion. Since that day, Zod had become very irritable and violent towards his own people; the smallest thing could make him fall into an anger of such intensity even his toughest soldiers became afraid of him. That made Haek's task that much harder and dreading because if an insignificant thing had this impact on the general, then how was he going to react to the news he was about to announce him?_

_The door swung open revealing the man in question, his face unreadable. The scientists in the room stilled like rats faking death to escape a predator. Haek-tor on the other hand, swallowed hard his apprehension and stood up, slowly walking in the visitor's direction to greet him._

" _General" the older man bowed his head respectfully. "Your visits are always an honor."_

_Zod acknowledged the other man's gesture with a nod of his own. "I should reciprocate the honors, Haek-tor, the realm owes a lot to you." he replied smoothly, his voice firm yet friendly. "How are you, my friend?"_

_The white-clad man was silent for a moment, slightly surprised by the general's gentle tone. He shook his head and cleared his throat when he realized he'd been silent for too long. "I'm fine, thank you." he breathed, relieved. "What about you? How's your wife?"_

_Instantly, Zod's features hardened. "Don't talk about my wife." he reprimanded as his jaw tightened._

_The dark look Zod shot him make Haek-tor still in fear for a moment as the other people in the room watched the scene between the two men with a mix of anxiety and fascination. One minute ticked by, then two, then five and still, Zod hadn't moved. Worse, his glare darkened to the point the older man sensed a strange but clear feeling of panic gripping him._

_Haek-tor wasn't weak-spirited by any mean and fear wasn't something he truly felt before that moment. There was something about Zod these days that just wasn't right. The man had always been merciless and violent but never towards his own race. That still didn't reassure the scientist who couldn't help but notice the rage that Zod tried to hide, dancing in his eyes._

" _I'm- I'm sorry... sire, I didn't want to..." Haek took a deep breath to calm himself. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this. "...to offense you by speaking about your wife."_

_The dictator looked calmer for a second but everybody noticed how he kept clenching and unclenching his right fist. "Then what is it you wanted to tell me that couldn't wait?" Every whispered word getting out of his mouth were filled with venom and despite his overall cool expression, nobody was fooled._

" _There's a.. uh.. we've- we've got bad news for you, sir." Haek slurred on his words but managed to keep explaining him what was going on. "About two months ago, we registered a sudden and unexpected series of seismic waves in the center of Alluria, the area where the human resistance is hiding, and we've been investigating since then-"_

" _What is it?" Zod cut him off curtly, taking a step forward._

" _And.. and" the older man swallowed discreetly. "We've discovered that in the following weeks a larger zone felt the effects of several important earthquakes that keeps growing and getting stronger, it...it-"_

" _it what?!" Zod's voice rose louder before he took another step forward._

" _it... soon will reach Kandor" the scientist stepped backward until his back hit the wall. He felt incredibly uncomfortable with Zod invading his personal space. "We believe it will eventually hit the entire planet." Again, he swallowed the lump in his throat. "We've checked the results eight times and we came to the only conclusion possible."_

_The gravity in the scientist's words made Zod's threatening face slip. He looked surprised for a moment before regaining his composure. He didn't like where this was going, not at all, it sounded too familiar. "What, will happen next?"_

_The other man looked down and didn't answer. "HAEK!" Zod shouted, making the scientist jerk his head up. "What will happen next?!" Zod pressed as he firmly grabbed Haek's lab coat. "Tell me!" He shook him._

_Haek-tor let out several uneven breaths before talking again. "The planet is going to explode, your Majesty." He paused, letting his words sink in. "In about a year. Probably... less."_

_This time, it was Zod's turn to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. His eyes were unfocused for a moment as several twenty-year old memories flew before him. A few seconds later, Zod's breath was labored with a mix of frustration, fear and anger when he demanded: "What is the cause of the tremors?" It was clear he was trying his best to stay still and speak quietly._

" _My team has noticed at several occasions the presence of a foreign liquid mass approaching the planet's core- hrm!" Haek cleared his throat several times as he felt Zod's hands wrapping around his throat._

 _The kryptonian general, on the other hand didn't seem to realize what he was doing as he looked like he was lost in his own world. For several long moments, the room abhorred a deafening silence that worried the scientists as much as Zod's personal guards._  
 _After what felt like an eternity, Zod finally spoke._  
  
" _Brainiac..." he whispered more to himself than to Haek-tor. "The destruction sequence...No!"_  
  
 _History was repeating itself. That conclusion dawned on Zod like a fatality of the universe crushing him. Were the gods punishing him for what he did to Krypton? That was impossible, Darkseid contamined New Genesis over fifty years earlier. If it wasn't them, then it was the humans. Zod now understood why Brainiac never came back after he gave him the order to kill Chloe Sullivan. Something must have happenned, somehow the humans found a way to reprogram the android._  
  
 _Haek felt Zod's hands loosen around his throat. "No...No, no, no," Zod kept shaking his head as if to chase the revelation away. He looked completely self-absorbed for several moments until the cloud lifted from his eyes, revealing the pure, unveiled rage in his eyes. "NO!" He yelled before jumping towards the scientist once more, his hands squeezing Haek's throat with all the force he could muster._

" _This is my realm! MINE! You have no right to take it away from me!" Tears spilled from his eyes as he kept squeezing his hands around the older man's throat. "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY!"_

_Everyone watched in horror Zod's murderous rage slowly killing their coworker who tried to fight back but found himself too weak to stop Zod's lethal grip. In a last attempt, the scientist gathered his strength to find his voice and pleaded the dictator to spare his life. "Please...please..." his strained voice echoed through the room a few more times but Zod seemed not to hear him and kept squeezing, all the while, crying._

_All the people standing in the room were literally paralyzed by the scene that played in front of them. They didn't do anything and simply watched until life left the venerable man's eyes forever but Zod kept squeezing and squeezing until another emotion submerged him. His hands let the now dead body of Haek-tor slump to the ground._

_Zod looked unsteady on his feet and his hands found the pillar that had been behind Haek the whole time, to steady himself. His next reaction however was to angrily push himself away from the pillar before destroying it with one punch, then another one and another and another. All the while screaming as if his life depended on it._

_When he was finished, the steel kept the print of his fists as if to remind him of the immense strength his body had and the consequences his anger had on things and people. But that didn't affect him, not at all. An eminent scientist just died at his hands and yet, he didn't care. What mattered to him was that his kingdom, his empire was going to fall apart in less than a year. And that, he couldn't take it._

_It happened like that in a millisecond but everyone saw it. It was like a switch. One moment Zod killed a man because he couldn't control his emotions and then, he walked towards the exit coolly, calmly like nothing happened. Stranger to the atmosphere in the room, his hand found the handle. He opened the door and left, leaving it to close itself with a loud bang that made everybody else's blood turn cold._

_Zod was a madman._

_-End of Flashback-_

In contrast to these dramatic events that took place seven months earlier, Zod was the complete opposite of what he had been back then. In control, determined and more importantly, he had a plan. The destruction of one planet wasn't going to destroy his empire.

Eventually, he reached the end of the corridor and stopped in front of a discreet looking door. Not bothering to knock, he opened it and walked inside a bedroom where his wife, Faora was sprawled on the bed in an uncomfortable position for her condition. Her wrists were attached to the headboard with strong handcuffs made in kryptonian metal.

Had he barely walked inside, he already was on the receiving end of Faora's chilling glare. "What do you want?" she demanded aggressively.

Zod smirked. "I was just checking up on you." he replied in a quiet but firm tone. "To see how things where going with you and … let's say my future." He added smugly as his gaze traveled over her body.

"I won't let you do it again! You sick monster, I should never have associated myself with you!" she shouted at him and tried to move her body so he couldn't look at what Zod perceived like his second chance.

"It's too late for regrets, my dear." Zod said. "And since Bruce will never know, you will need _me_."

Faora snorted. "You're going to kill me when this is over, anyway!" She did her best to not let him look at her but in her position it was no easy task.

"Now, why would I kill you? I think you've already been punished enough..." Zod trailed off knowing his words were going to get a  
reaction from her.

"You had no right to kill Vala!" Faora shouted at him, already feeling the tears gathering in her eyes at the memory of her sister dying in her arms after being stabbed by Zod. "She believed in you! She was too young to die!"

"Vala's death was a pitiful consequence of your actions." Zod appeared unaffected by the fact he killed a young woman who always was one of his most fervent supporters. "You slept with the enemy, Faora. I will never forgive you for this."

Faora closed her eyes and let her tears spill on her cheeks, turning her head not to let Zod see it. They both were silent for a moment before Zod spoke again.

"It doesn't matter anyway," he announced quietly. "We'll be able to start over soon, and you're going to give me what I want."

"Fuck you!"

Zod smirked and left. She was going to do it, she had no choice.

* * *

"Damn it, what's he doing?" the kryptonian soldier mumbled under his breath as his foot taped on the ground impatiently. "Dyn?! Hurry up we're already late!"  
  
Another soldier appeared rounding the corner in quick steps. "Sorry, I just forgot my pass!" he breathed.  
  
"That's the first time it happens to you," the other man realized. "Anyway let's run over to the central or we're going to get sanctioned and you know we shouldn't make Zod mad right now."  
  
"Alright let's go!" the other man nodded before they both rushed in the direction of the prison district.

It only took them seconds to reach their destination. As they entered the closed zone and reached inside the guard center, both soldiers were unaware of the threat hovering in the air of Kandor... or maybe not.

"Alright," the first one said as he finished checking the security of their territory on their virtual panel. "We're the only ones in control over here, feels good to be the boss around here, doesn't it?"  
  
"I think it's time to change the odds, actually" his friend replied in a voice he didn't recognize as Dyn's.

"What?" He turned around, confused, only to be stopped when a flashing green light connected with his temple, knocking him out.

Towering over the unconscious kryptonian form stood Dyn-Xe, a green kryptonite dagger in his hand. The man looked down at his colleague for a moment, his expression unreadable before he turned towards the console and pressed a few keys sending the signal to open every door of each cell in the prison, thus freeing everyone.

Dyn closed his eyes in concentration as he sent a message to his allies. _This is J'onn J'onzz. Permission to engage._ After getting a positive answer from every resistant fighter, he opened his now bright red eyes as his body shape-shifted back into its real form.

J'onn's hand pressed one last button and hooked on the main speakers. It was time for the final act: Zod's fall.

**< ><><><><>**

  
A loud strident noise echoed through the entire city fully wired and equipped with speakers. The kryptonians all over the area covered their ears as they hissed in pain and cursed for the first time their super-hearing ability. Using the distraction as their advantage, a column of twenty five vehicles zoomed through the streets of Kandor without any problem. The only guards they met were incapacitated by J'onn's doing. The cars drove even further into the lion's den only to shoot down the final wall separating them from their goal and stopped in the middle of the prison district.

Instantly, the soldiers of the resistance set foot down and began discharging several boxes of kryptonite weapons under the eyes of stunned prisoners who'd just walked out of their cells.

"These are the keys to your freedom!" A tall man with a scarf covering half his face announced, pointing towards the weapons. "I know we're not giving you much of a choice but this is now or never. It's time to fight and take back what's rightfully yours!"

The soldiers cheered him along some ex-prisoners. A woman stepped besides the leader and exclaimed "Time to bring Zod down!" making the soldiers cheer once more, her words convincing the prisoners who began to move forward and grab their weapons.

Not even a second later, the deafening high pitched noise stopped emitting out of the speakers, thus rendering the atmosphere anxiously silent. Every people inside the prison's walls felt chills running through their bodies as they kept equipping themselves for the war until...  
  
"Incoming!" One of the soldiers shouted. They didn't have time to take cover that already a loud detonation engulfed them right before the front fences were blown away and a thick smoke filled the air.

This was it, Zod had attacked first, now was time to strike back.

**< ><><><><>**

  
Oliver removed the scarf from his mouth to suck in a breath as he took cover behind the only truck of the band. His eyes began to sting as he tried to look for his teammates through the smoke.

"Chloe!" he called a sudden fear began to grip him.

"Right here!" he heard her behind him and quickly turned back only to see her moving in his direction, wiping the dirt off her own scarf. A large figure followed her and Oliver recognized AC at her side.

"Oh, good!" he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and examined Chloe then AC to check if any of them had any scratch.

"Fun just started!" AC said as he crouched down behind the truck.

"Damn right, Zod won't know what hit him." Oliver added. "Let's tell the guys to team up as planned."

AC nodded. "Honor to the lady."

Chloe smiled faintly before inhaling deeply. "Proceed phase two, boys!" she yelled so she could be heard over the commotion.

The three of them could hear Victor, then Bruce, then Tess confirming the instructions before they decided to move.

Oliver sprinted as quickly as he could in the direction of the nearest house to cover himself.

He couldn't believe how many men they had and he was glad everyone accepted to join them because in all honesty he knew their chances to defeat Zod's army were slim. It was too late to back off now.

Chloe and AC joined him as the others and their alien allies took cover behind other constructions. "You ready?" he asked them.

"One hundred percent ready." AC replied as he gave him a determined nod.

"Let's go." Chloe confirmed as she and Oliver shared a look for a moment before he turned back towards the others. He gave them the silent signal to invade the area, thus proceeding to the next phase of their plan: Going in, hand to hand.

The first streets were clear and quiet apart from the distant noises of war in the background. It, however, wasn't long before the first enemies were spotted. Instinctively, their grip on their kryptonite weapons tightened as they knew that was the only thing protecting them.

The kryptonians, though, knew they would be at disadvantage but they had another card to play on their side. A few moments later, lasers flew in their direction. Chloe ducked just in time to avoid being hit as AC pulled Oliver behind a wall, dodging the fire from a few inches only.

The action made Oliver fall to the ground and he cursed himself for not seeing that one coming. Looking up, he saw AC's extended hand. He got up with his friend's help and both men nodded at each other before they cocked their weapons and shot in their attackers' way.

The bullet sprays hit the slowest kryptonians who fell dead or incapacitated on the ground. It took them some sweat and blood but the trio managed to clear the way and move further inside quickly. They eventually reached a cross-way where they met J'onn. They didn't say a word but all of them knew that so far the plan was unraveling nicely.

"Good luck to you both." AC told the other two blonds, the plan was that AC and J'onn needed to move towards the outskirts of Kandor to lead to safety the wounded or the prisoners unable to fight.

"Alright," Oliver agreed. "Meet you back at the Mansion location when this is over." AC nodded as he turned towards Chloe.

"Be careful." she gave him a quick hug which he returned.

"You too, Good luck." AC took off fast with J'onn who waved at them, there was no time to lose.

"Good luck." Oliver repeated as he turned towards Chloe. "Just the two of us, now."

"I got your back." she told him certainly.

"And I got yours." He winked at her before they both moved forward, progressing slowly through Kandor's streets closing in on their goal: Zod's hideout.

**< ><><><><>**

  
In a parallel street the fights were seemingly harder for Hal, Tess and Victor who were the unlucky ones to meet the largest amount of Kryptonians on their way. Hal would have preferred to have some kind of radio communication set up between them which would come in handy right now as he hid back behind a wall right before the lasers meant for him met the hard concrete. His only consolation was that the aliens surely had their hands full with the other groups though he wasn't sure everything would be going on so easily, they were merely one thousand against Zod's men.

"Look out!" Victor's shout pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see a Kryptonian hovering in the sky. Instinctively, he looked for an escape which he found in the shape of a door. Kicking it open he turned back towards his teammates. "Get inside!"

Hal had reacted quickly but it was still too slow against super-powered aliens and next thing he knew, fire blasts hit an old pile of barrels. The explosion propelled him backwards and inside the house.

Victor was still dealing with the aftereffects of the explosion when he felt a powerful blow hitting him square in the jaw. He was sent back crashing against the wall which cracked dangerously against the cyborg's body. His vision was a bit blurry but he managed to catch sight of Tess stabbing the Kryptonian who hit him.

"Behind you!" he shouted but it was already too late as another alien used the diversion at his advantage and kicked Tess away  
who cried out at the force of the blow but Victor was thankful the kryptonite had weakened him otherwise they both would be dead already.

He managed to extricate himself from the wall but fell to his knees, still recovering from his own attack, his head hurting and his human ear ringing. The kryptonian was back towards Tess and he watched, powerless, as the alien kicked the kryptonite knife away before preparing to administer the final blow to a stricken Tess.

The sound of gunshots filled his ears as the alien fell down unmoving, revealing Hal who stood behind them, the weapon in his hands still smoking. The human hurried towards his acolyte on the ground, "Tess, you okay?" he asked fearfully.

The latter groaned. "I'm alright," she replied as she hold her head. "Damn kryptonians and their super-strength..." she mumbled making Hal crack half a smile before helping her up as Victor joined them.

They moved to go further into the heart of the city but stopped immediately when they noticed a dozen kryptonians surrounding them. "Holy sh-" Hal's words were cut off as they all screamed in pain, their hands flying to their ears as a deafening, piercing cry filled them. It only lasted a few seconds but the pain stayed several more moments. Eventually, the humans were able to get up, their ears still ringing, the pain subsiding slowly. They looked around them, confused to see the aliens groaning in pain on the ground, blood dripping down their ears.

"Sorry about that." Dinah apologized as she jumped down from the roof and joined the three of them. "It's alright, just... warn us or something next time it happens." Tess replied as the ache in her ears persisted.

Hal looked up to see the sky clear from any kryptonians apart from Kal-El who was reaching down to join them. "Where's Bruce?" their sole kryptonian ally shrugged. "He said Oliver had given him a mission and took off." Kal-El told him.

Victor opened his mouth to answer but another groan made him look down to the incapacitated aliens at his feet. "What should we do with them?" he asked quietly.

His companions followed his gaze and fell silent for a second. "What do you think we should do?" Dinah pursed her lips.  
"If the roles were reversed they wouldn't hesitate to kill us." Tess said darkly as Kal-El nodded. "They will recover quickly we have to decide." he added to the debate.

"What would Oliver and Chloe do?" Victor questioned, their natural leaders were the persons they would turn to for such an important decision but they weren't there.

"I think they'd do it." Hal spoke up simply, drawing his friend's gazes on him. "This is war, we don't have a choice." he stared at them for a moment before pulling his dagger out of its sheath.

The green blade shined under the red rays of the sun. The young human looked down at it before crouching down slowly besides the closest kryptonian. He positioned the blade above her forehead and saw the alien's eyes widen in pure fear. Feeling his resolve wavering, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to keep his hand from trembling. He opened them again, devoid of emotion this time, and pressed the dagger down which penetrated the alien's forehead with a squishing sound, killing her.

His eyes were cold as he wiped off the bit of blood that had splattered on his cheek before pulling the knife out. Looking down at the body, he and his friends realized in shock what he had just done but all of them understood the reasons behind such an act.

That was why they all imitated him, pulling out their green kryptonite dagger, and blue for Kal-El, and killing their foes without ever knowing that this instant was the moment their morality changed forever. No more black and white, sometimes the good guys had to get their hands dirty to do what had to be done.

"Let's move on!" Hal ordered.

**< ><><><><>**

  
Kandor was a living hell. That was Chloe's comment when she and Oliver fought back to back against what seemed like endless herds of Kryptonians. Things got increasingly harder the moment Bart told them all he found out Zod's location. His men were few but the General was a fine strategist and he had disposed his soldiers massively around the place he was staying at.

The way was filled with ambushes and traps but so far, Chloe and Oliver were both unharmed except some superficial wounds. They were thankful of their experience in fights from the repeated past missions they made for that.

The fact that they were both in sync with the other helped a lot too. All this time spent training together, just the two of them had helped them find a great balance in their relationship as well as their fighting style. No one managed to beat them and they wouldn't stop until they found Zod.

"I see it!" Chloe shouted so her companion could hear her over the noise. At a reasonable amount of distance in front of her stood a large anonymous looking building surrounded by guards.

The couple turned around 180° their backs to each other so Oliver could see the target and Chloe covered his back. "Ready? Let's run for it!" he exclaimed as Chloe shot down the last alien with her crossbow. She turned back and ran with Oliver by her side towards the building.

The guards didn't see them coming, they had already been surprised moments ago by Hal's team.  
The kryptonian soldiers didn't last long with such an amount of kryptonite near them but some were tough and gave everything they had in their last fight against the humans, The moment Chloe and Oliver approached Zod's safe house, Hal spotted them. Silently, he signaled them they would keep the guards distracted long enough for the two blondes to get inside.

Oliver didn't lose time trying to force the steeled door open but only ended up hurting his shoulder. Chloe shook her head at him "Trying to impress me?" she asked, amused. She tried for the handle but it was either jammed or locked.

"Always, Sidekick." Oliver replied and grimaced when he rubbed his shoulder.

"Well don't, the door's locked we'll have to ask Kal or Victor." she said sternly.

"Why don't you let a real man take care of this?" A teasing voice asked from behind them, they both turned around to see AC approaching quickly, a smirk on his face.

"Very funny," Oliver deadpanned. "I was wondering what was this smell of rotten fish, it could only be you!" he bantered back.

Chloe ignored her boyfriend. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with J'onn."

AC drank the last bottle of water he had and positioned himself against the large piece of steel. "Hal asked for J'onn to send him some support so I came back." He pushed hard and the door fell down with a loud thud that echoed through the construct.

"Child's play!" AC grinned, proud of himself.

Chloe rolled her eyes as both Arthur and Oliver began to tease each other. _Men and their egos_ , she thought as she carefully stepped inside the seemingly empty building. It looked like the place had been abandoned in a hurry.

The two men followed her quickly and even thought they were both serious now, she couldn't help herself. "Guys, do me a favor," she began and looked at them sternly. "enough stroking each other's back for now, we have a task at hand."

"No worries, Sidekick." Oliver smirked. He loved it when she got bossy.

"You're the boss, Sunshine." AC quipped only to get a reprimanding look from Oliver.

Chloe shook her head once more, a smile playing at her lips. "Let's go on."

The next minutes however, were spent in a tense silence. The three of them inspected every corner of the house, all the while anxious to see a kryptonian jumping on them. In such a confined space, one missed shot could cost them their lives.

"Last door." Chloe whispered as they reached the highest floor that led to the balcony. They positioned themselves smartly. "Ready? One... Two..."

Oliver kicked open the door and the three humans raided outside on the open space of the large terrace. A familiar figure had their back turned to them. "How nice of you to pay me one last visit!"

" _Zod_!"

The dictator turned to face them, a dark expression on his face. He was alone but knowing him, the three humans were convinced he wasn't going to give up without putting up a fight.

"This is the end, Zod!" Oliver pointed his crossbow at the alien, finger on the trigger.

Zod laughed dangerously. "Oh no, this is far from over, Oliver." He answered but made no move towards them, he looked very much in control and that unsettled the three young humans. "I am about to be reborn and my empire will go on."

"Not while we're still here! We are going to stop you now!" AC exclaimed heatedly, feeling uneasy at Zod's presence. There was that threatening aura about him that made AC feel strangely scared, he didn't like that one bit.

Chloe didn't say anything, she analyzed the scene and even though it looked like they had the upper hand, she could sense Zod was about to do something.

"You, Mr Curry?" Zod interjected. "You are already dead, my friend!"

An explosion coming from behind them shook the building strongly and made them lose their focus on Zod who didn't waste a second using the situation at his advantage.

The sound of a blade being drawn caught Oliver's ears and had he barely turned back towards Zod, he felt his throat being sliced deep enough to let him bleed to death.

"NO!" Chloe screamed as she saw Oliver fall to his knees, his hands flying to his throat. Reacting with her emotions she shot her arrow in Zod's direction but missed him by a millimeter. The latter disappeared through the thick smoke.

"Ollie!" she yelled and threw herself at his side.

AC watched in horror as she cradled Oliver in her arms. He hadn't been able to react quickly enough to save his friend, Zod had captured his attention and he'd been so focused on the dictator he hadn't been able to see what was going on. He felt the tears gathering in his eyes as he watched, powerless, Oliver losing his blood. There was already a large pool of it under him. Chloe did her best to try to stop the bleeding but it was no use.

"Do you see that, Mr Curry?" Zod's voice filled his ear. " _That_ , is your fault."

Gritting his teeth in anger, he whirled around in hope to dig his dagger deep into the bastard's skull only to have his hand blocked by Zod's. There was only a few inches between them.

"You are too weak to stop me." AC could see the efforts it took Zod not to wince because of the kryptonite in his hand but the man still managed to keep his strength.

"Go to hell, you piece of shit!" AC spat.

"I'll see you there, then." Zod smirked and looked into his eyes deeply. Suddenly, Zod put a hand on his back and used all he force he could muster to guide AC's dagger into the human's chest. The latter gasped in a mix of surprise and pain, already unsteady on his feet, he involuntary put his weight on Zod who walked backwards towards the edge of the balcony.

"Now die, Mr Curry!" These were the last words AC heard as he was being pushed over the building's edge, the dagger still deep into his flesh as he fell down the building and disappeared into the smoke.

Satisfied, Zod turned back to take care of the two other humans when suddenly: "No! Oh my god, NO!" Hal appeared in his sight, a look of anguish on his face that turned into one of fury when his eyes fell on him. "Die!" the humans yelled and he jumped on him, propelling the two men over the ledge. They engaged a fight in the air but the kryptonite that Hal carried with him prevented Zod from using his ability to fly. He struggled in the human's grip and blacked out when he felt his back hitting the ground, Hal falling on the top of him.

**< ><><><><>**

  
Blood, there was so much _blood!_

"Don't worry, It's gonna be okay." Chloe reassured him through her entire being was filled with dread. "I'm gonna heal you and _you_ are going to be fine, Ollie. You hear me? You are going to be fine!" She repeated as she cupped his face with trembling hands.

She closed her eyes, unable to keep her tears from flowing as she tried to focus. Soon after, a faint light emanated from her hands and she felt relief crashing over her until the light suddenly stopped. Her eyes shot open in surprise and the sight that greeted her wasn't was she wanted at all.

Oliver was still bleeding and convulsing. It hadn't worked.

"It's not working! Why is it not working?" Chloe asked frantically to herself as she seemed unable to use her power to heal Oliver. All her attention was focused on him, she didn't care about the hell that surrounded her. All that mattered was that Oliver was hurt and she had to save him.

"Oliver! Oliver stay with me!" She shook him as life began to leave his eyes and the blood kept flowing out of his wound. He began to cough violently, choking on his blood. She watched as he died in her arms, her tears falling on his face as she barely controlled her sobs. Her world began to crumble down with him.

"Oliver?" her voice was small as she spoke softly but she didn't feel him moving anymore and she swore that as she broke down a part of her died with him, her _heart_.

**< ><><><><>**

Zod's groan of pain forced Hal out of his daze. He didn't know how long he'd been out but he knew he was lucky to still be alive after such a fall.

The kryptonian on the other hand was still dizzy when he felt a strong fist hitting him right in his face. He shouted in pain.

"You killed them! You killed them!" Hal kept repeating as he pummeled the dictator's face mercilessly. He'd seen Zod throw AC out of the balcony and Oliver's bloodied body in Chloe's arms. The sight of it made him fall in such rage he knew he was going to kill the bastard.

"You deserve to die!" He yelled at Zod. "Fucking monster!" Punch after punch landed on his face making Zod think he was actually going to die at Hal's hands when, by luck, he caught sight of something behind the human.

A smirk appeared on his face and despite Hal's fists he began to laugh. He could not believe his luck. He laughed so hard his sides began to hurt.

Hal stopped punching him for a moment when Zod began to laugh, surprised by his reaction at first, the maniacal laugh of the alien fueled his anger even more. "What are you laughing at? I'll kill you!"

The blows were even stronger and more painful when they landed on his face but Zod kept laughing. Blood was covering his entire face making him look disfigured when a large grin broke out on his face and he managed to talk after spitting out some broken teeth.

"I'm just _celebrating_ your death!" Zod announced, making Hal's blood turn cold and stop in his fury. Using it as a distraction, Zod gathered his strength and in one last effort pushed the human backwards.

Hal was surprised by the fact that Zod still had so much strength at his disposal but that actually didn't matter at the moment. He realized in horror that he'd been absorbed into some sort of red bubble. It dawned on him that he was inside the space transportation machine that took him on Sedna.

Zod had been crawling towards the machine until his hand found the control panel. His lips turned upwards into a cruel smirk when he entered coordinates he knew would lead to nowhere. When he was done, he looked the helpless human into his eyes. "Have a good trip, Harold!" he sneered before pushing the button that sent the bubble flying in the air.

The bubble flew away and Hal screamed terror until he took off under the horrified look of his friends. Hal Jordan was gone, _forever_.

**< ><><><><>**

Zod felt a strange sense of invulnerability after he sent Hal Jordan to his death. It was like fate was on his side. Every time he was in a dangerous situation, he managed to get out of it alive and well. After taking Hal's beating, he had recovered pretty quickly with the kryptonite gone. He was ready to end the insurrection now and then-

" _ZOD!_ "

The man in question turned around. His eyes widened at the sight of his son landing a few feet in front of him, his expression one of sadness and anger. Zod shook his head at him, what did the fool want?

"Kal! Aren't going you to give your father a hug?"

"What have you _done_?" Kal-El asked, the venom dripping off every word he said.

"The real question son is, what have they done to you?" Zod sent the question back to him. "What have they done to my son?" he mused quietly to annoy the other man.

And Kal-El reacted exactly like he predicted. "I'm not your son!" the younger alien shouted.

"Aren't you?" Zod dared to ask. "Kal... Who was there to hear your first words? Me! Oh by the way, do you know what your first word was?"

Kal-El remained silent as Zod began to circle around him threateningly.

" _Lara_." Zod said, "Lara was your first word, son."

"My real mother's name."

"Your _biological_ mother's name!" Zod corrected him. "You were still under _their_ influence. I knew I had a lot of work to do with you but it paid up in the end!"

Kal-El tried to ignore the man who once was his father but he knew he was getting into his head. He did his best not to let himself get affected too much. "Where's Faora?" The mention of his real mother made him wonder what happened to his other mother. He didn't care much about her but it was odd that she wasn't around.

"Oh, you're crying for mommy now?" Zod cooed, not wanting to brush the subject of his wife. "Dear Rao, what have they done to you?" he asked again. "They've made you weak!"

All of a sudden Zod wrapped his arm around Kal-El's throat from behind, forcing the young alien on his knees. "It would be so easy to break your neck right now, right here!" Zod whispered in his ear.

Kal-El struggled against his aggressor in vain, fear starting to make itself known in his stomach. He knew Zod, he wouldn't hesitate  
to kill him.

"I failed you, Kal." the older kryptonian kept talking in his ear. "You are never going to be the same again, my poor son! But I _forgive_ you! I forgive you for believing their lies, you can still be your old self, Kal."

"Shut up!"

Zod laughed. "Oh! I see J'onn's done a magnificent job on you!" he exclaimed before approaching his mouth closer to his ear. "All this work for _nothing_!" he murmured before straightening himself up.

He was going to _kill_ him. Kal-El realized as beads of sweat ran down his forehead, his heart pounding erratically in his chest.

"Goodbye Kal-El, son of Jor-El!"

Just as he was about to twist Kal-El's neck, a whistling sound could be heard before Zod emitted a loud cry of pain and let go of him. In a second, the young kryptonian was on his feet and looked back at his so called father, sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain as an _arrow_ stuck out of his back.

His eyes widened at the sight and he looked in the direction of the shooter. Standing proudly on the balcony's ledge, was a very much alive Oliver Queen, his bow still in his hand. The two men caught each other's gaze and Oliver nodded before walking back into the building. In a minute, the group of humans stepped towards the two kryptonians.

Oliver was helping a pale-looking Chloe to walk by holding her tightly so she wouldn't fall. The blood was still fresh on the two of them but they looked fine. Following them closely was Bart and Dinah who only sported some minor injuries but what caught Kal-El's attention was Tess who would have launched herself at Zod if it wasn't for Victor holding her back.

"I'll kill him! Let me kill him!" she yelled as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She had seen the bubble sending Hal away and she wasn't going to let his death be unpunished.

"The fucker's killed too many of us." Oliver added angrily as he took another shot with the crossbow in his free hand.

The arrow plunged into the kryptonian's shoulder, making him scream in renewed pain. Everyone watched him without any compassion, he deserved that shot and more.

"I say we kill him right now!" Tess's wavering voice filled the air. "There's no way I'm letting this monster walk away after what he's done!"

"I'm up for it." Dinah agreed.

"She's right." Bart continued. "But who will do it?"

"I don't care who will do it! I'll do it gladly!" Tess yelled at the younger member of the team.

"Tess! Shh!" Victor tried to soothe her.

"Tess," Chloe's weak voice turned the other woman's attention to her. "Zod will be punished trust me, but don't yell at Bart, please." she added as she grimaced when she felt a headache coming.

"He was my father." Kal-El said quietly, drawing the group's attention on him. "I'll do it."

"Be my guest!" Oliver encouraged him and the kryptonian did not hesitate gripping Zod by his arm, forcing him up despite his groans of pain.

The dictator was in a bad shape but he still had enough strength to talk and if he was to die then, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to mess with his son one last time.

"That's right kill your father!" Zod laughed before coughing harshly. Everyone tensed up at the sound of his voice. "You may kill me now but all the things I taught you... won't die with me. I will always be in your head... for the rest of your _miserable_ life!"

 _Will he stop laughing?_ Thought Kal-El. Zod's words had hit a nerve and it irritated him that he was still able to do that.

"Go on, kill him." A cold, strong, inhuman voice sounded behind the group. "You want him to stop laughing, don't you? Then _end him_."

Everyone turned around and shock crossed their features as they saw _him_. Approaching them slowly but surely, his hands clasped behind his back, the purest stoical expression on his face, was...

" _Darkseid!"_


	20. Darkseid's Inferno

" _Darkseid!"_

A giant. A giant living statue. That was what immediately Oliver thought of when the most dreaded person of the universe appeared in front of him and his friends. They were in shock and dare he say it, _afraid_. The fact that Darkseid was the image of self-control himself wasn't helping.

He did nothing but stand there for minutes, watching them silently, his arms folded behind his back. His face never giving away anything but a barely noticeable furrowed brow.

The background sounds of panic, weapons and death were soon covered by the deep intimidating voice of the new god. "I just ended a months-long journey after I learned the consequences of your... _incompetence_ , Zod." Despite the context, his voice was unbelievably calm, so calm it gave the humans chills. "We made a deal, General, and you haven't respected your engagements."

"I... I got betrayed and-" Zod tried to explain himself frenetically, all the while trying to look at anywhere but him.

"Failure shall never be unpunished." Darkseid whispered but it was enough to cut off Zod's desperate attempt at explaining himself. Approaching slowly, Zod was left alone as with every step forward the Lord of darkness took, the humans reached backward.

"Look at me, Zod."

The kryptonian shook his head, his gaze on the ground as his shoulders began to shake dementedly "Nononono!" Zod choked on a sob. "Please, my lord, be merciful! I can still-... I can still give you what you want! I swear, I-"

"Zod."

The man in question kept on babbling and crying, barely taking the time to take a breath as he begged for Darkseid's pity. The only thing, everybody knew he would never get.

"Look..."

The young group of heroes watched the scene playing before them, mesmerized by the unconventional threatening presence of the god towering over a fallen psychotic dictator, Zod. They were shocked to see the General's breakdown as they always thought he would rather die than ask for mercy. Clearly they were wrong. The man had clearly gone _insane_.

"... at..."

No one moved, not even Kal-El. They were all frozen by the complete lack of emotions in Darkseid's voice and they all wondered how dangerous this... _beast_ , could be. How could they manage to get away from the purest form of living evil.

"... _me!_ "

Surprisingly, Zod raised his head slowly to meet his Lord's eyes. Everyone watched as the two aliens did nothing else but look at each other for several long moments until... the faintest line of a smirk appeared on the rock-like face of Darkseid.

"No compromise." He declared solemnly. "Your punishment will equal the extent of your failure."

Sheer terror crossed the human's faces as they watched Darkseid's huge fist plunge into Zod's chest, making him scream in raw agony. A second later, the god pulled his hand out of the kryptonian's body only to throw a heart on the ground. _Zod's heart_.

It beat twice and stopped definitively at the same moment the General's body slumped to the soil, dead.

"Weak." Darkseid whispered.

He turned towards the young people's group, taking in the expressions on their faces that made him feel something akin to satisfaction inside of him. His face never gave away anything as he walked forward and made a stop in front of the tall blond human he recognized as Oliver Queen.

 _The Green Arrow... The man who destroyed his minions._ He raged internally at the memory but consoled himself by the fact that they weren't going to be alive much longer anyway...

"I am many things, humans..." Darkseid spoke coldly. "But here, I am God."

"What do you want?" the young Kal-El asked and he couldn't help but wonder if it was an act or if he was just naive by nature.

"Looks pretty clear to me..." Oliver interrupted very quietly as he began to back away slowly from Darkseid, Chloe still in his arms. "He's here to kill us too."

The god of evil smirked internally. _Well said_ , he thought. He had been right not to underestimate the humans, they had caused him a lot of damage in the past. He wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Very insightful, Green Arrow." He replied smoothly. "My hell will be the place of your demise, after all this time I finally have the chance to stop the threat before it causes me any problem."

"You want us dead? Kill me first then!" Victor jumped forward, standing defiantly in front of the powerful entity.

"...You dare?" his voice held a hint of incredulity. "You dare telling me what to do?" The rage he felt was well hidden but the human's defiance was too much to take.

"VICTOR! DON'T!" Oliver yelled but it was too late.

The white rays had already left Darkseid's eyes, engulfing the cyborg's body in a sort of halo. The latter screamed in the most unbearable kind of agony.

"Enjoy the pain I'm giving you, human." the alien said, effortlessly heard over Victor's yells of anguish. "This is the last thing you will _ever_ feel!"

His screams were too much to bear for the humans, there was nothing they could do and Chloe yelled at the top of her lungs as Victor's body disappeared, leaving nothing but a faint smoke behind. Unable to process the fact that another one of her friends just died, she didn't even realize the tears that dropped from her eyes. Her emotions drained the last of her strengths and her vision quickly became unfocused and blurred.

She fought to keep her eyes open to see Darkseid approaching them. For a moment she thought that this truly was the end for all of them, that the battle against Zod had been for nothing. However, relief and hope crashed over her as she caught sight of Kal-El's fist colliding with the Lord of Evil's face, sending him thanks to his incredible strength flying out of her sight.

**< ><><><><>**   
  


The incomprehension marring the human's faces made Kal-El's stomach clench. He opened his mouth to say something but didn't even have time to begin his phrase that already the ground violently shook under their feet, a loud rumble filling their ears. The tremor was so powerful it made them fall to the agitated soil. Looking around, they saw buildings falling down under the strong waves of the seism.

Shaken by Victor's sudden death and the lasting tremor, Oliver's mind was having a hard time realizing what was currently happening. Eventually, Dinah's muffled voice broke into his ears.

"It's happening! Brainiac's reaching the planet's core!"

That much sprung him into action. He knew they had to act fast or they were all going to die there. "Kal-El!" he yelled so he could be heard over the noise. "Find J'onn! Tell him to spread the word: Everyone has to evacuate, NOW!"

The alien nodded and took off the next second meanwhile Oliver helped Chloe up who looked at him with wide eyes. "We're gonna get out of here." he promised and saw her nod trustingly.

The humans made a circle to work out a plan of escape. "Our best shot at leaving this hell alive are the spaceships close to the prison!" Dinah announced promptly.

"This is gonna be a huge mess!" Bart looked skeptical. "Everyone's gonna rush there, by the time we reach them they'll already be gone!"

"This is our only chance!" Oliver sealed the conversation. "We have no choice."

Bart sighed in defeat. "Okay."

"Let's go now, the faster we get there, the better." Dinah finished and began to lead the way.

Bart was doing his best to drag along an uncooperative Tess while Oliver scooped Chloe up in his arms. The backlash of her healing him was beginning to show and she could barely stand on her own so he figured it would be faster that way.

They were about to run in the direction of the prison when a loud crashing sound made them stop suddenly. Looking back, Oliver could see the imposing form of Darkseid at the other end of the area.

"Run! Now!" he shouted and before Darkseid could try anything else, they were gone. Leaving him alone... with Zod's dead figure.

  
**< ><><><><>**   
  


They ran like their lives depended on it, which actually wasn't far from the truth. During the first moments of their escape, Oliver thought Darkseid was going to show up and kill them all thanks to some sort of super-speed power or teleportation. After several minutes, the tension in his body became to loosen. Apparently, Their new foe wasn't coming after them.

Either he wasn't in a rush to get them or he had other preoccupations. The second option seemed to be the good one since the entire planet was going to be blown up in a matter of minutes. Oliver figured even the great Darkseid couldn't survive this no matter what kind of _twisted_ alien race he belonged to. He had enough of aliens with superiority complex and actually cherished the old time when the Green Arrow only had in front of him the usual muggers that filled the cities of Earth. Even a drug dealer would do.

He sighed. Maybe things would come down to it once again when Darkseid was gone, for _good_. Seeing the large alien aircraft from afar, his mind focused back on the present time and their _need_ of escape. As Bart predicted, the place was filled with people, they were already tamping the ships with as much people as they could. Fortunately, these persons, being the worst enemies of Darkseid and Zod often were heroes on their planets, didn't fight to get on board. _That_ was very refreshing to the young humans and it made things easier.

"Bart!" Oliver demanded and in an instant, the speedster was in front of him. "Do a quick sweep of the place and find us some ship that isn't ready to crack."

"On it, boss!" Bart sped off and in a matter of minutes he was back in front of them. "Found a guy who's got five seats for us!" he announced hurriedly.

"Only four will be enough." Oliver said as he followed Bart to the ship.

"Oliver?" Chloe's voice was barely a whisper but he heard her and looked down only to see her fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Shh, Chloe keep your strengths, don't try to talk." Oliver tried to avoid the subject as they finally reached the ship. There, one alien was keeping the door open, obviously waiting for them. However, Chloe wasn't going to drop the matter anytime soon.

"Don't... sweet-talk me, Oliver, what are you going to do?" she asked softly, feeling lightheaded.

"I'm going to get AC." Oliver announced, not surprised when he heard the disapproving noises his friends made.

"No way!" Bart refused.

"This is suicide! You wanna kill yourself?" Tess yelled.

Only Dinah didn't say anything, she just watched as Chloe lifted a hand to Oliver's cheek, drawing his attention to her.

"He wouldn't want you to do this. You know it." She told him seriously, unfortunately her voice was very weak.

"That's why I'm going back." Oliver replied, determined. "He may still be alive, I have to find him. It'll be alright I'll go with... wait a minute!" Oliver looked around frantically. "Where's Bruce?!"

"He told Kal-El you've given him a mission..." Dinah answered, unconvinced.

Oliver swore. That made a second reason for him to go back into the city's heart, he wasn't going to abandon them. He just hoped Bruce wasn't doing anything stupid. "I'm going back." his tone left no room to discussion, his friends knew he wasn't going to change his mind.

"No!" Chloe disagreed.

"I'm coming with you then."

Oliver turned to Bart. "No."

"Look, you got no choice, dude!" Bart argued. "Someone has to watch your back or you'll end up killed!"

Oliver sighed deeply. "Okay." he acquiesced. "Now Dinah, get Tess and Chloe on board and never look behind, your destination is Earth no matter what happens to us. Alright?"

Despite Chloe and Tess's refusal, Dinah agreed. "No problem." she was flattered Oliver trusted her enough with Chloe's life.

Soon after, the three women had gotten inside the spaceship and Oliver and Bart were saying their goodbyes.

"I'll find my way back to you, I promise." Oliver whispered as he kissed Chloe's forehead gently.

"You're going to get yourself killed... I..."

"Shh!" Oliver silenced her with a finger on her lips, a tender smile on his own face. He bent down to kiss her lips sweetly. Opening his eyes again, he brushed away a silent tear on her cheek with his thumb and gazed into her eyes reflecting so many emotions at the moment. "I love you." he murmured.

She didn't say it back, but he knew with one look into her eyes that if he wanted to hear her say it, he was going to have to come back to her. Smiling to her one last time, he let her go gently and walked out of the aircraft. Chloe watched him as he made a stop at Dinah's side then, she passed out.

"Keep her safe, will you?" Oliver put a hand on her shoulder and she saw the fear he had in his eyes so she reassured him.

"She'll be safe, you got my word." Dinah replied firmly.

Oliver simply nodded. "Also, watch out for Tess, she's just barely holding up herself."

"Sure, take care."

"You too." Walking out, he reached Bart. They both knew that the planet could explode any minute now so there was no need for any other words than:

"Ready?"

**< ><><><><>**   
  


The streets were completely deserted, everyone has left for the spaceships and hearing the constant growl of the planet, Oliver was sure this was a good idea. It didn't make his resolve flinch though. He promised himself he would find Bruce and AC and nothing was going to stop him.

He only hoped they could find them and leave before Sedna went off. Being blown up with an entire planet wasn't an idea he cherished. The fact that Bart accompanied him only made his preoccupations grow. He couldn't accept that the young man died because of him. The poor kid had been through so many horrific trials already.

However, as they found the place where AC was supposed to be, their hopes vanished. He wasn't there.

"Damn it!" Oliver kicked a random barrel nearby. It rolled away with a clattering thud and as if on cue, the planet replied with a renewed wave of rumbling noises. The ground quaking in rapid succession. The end was coming, they realized.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Bart exclaimed, drawing his mentor's attention to him. "Watch this!" He pointed towards a semi-buried door from where an animated light caught both men's attention.

 _AC might be there._ "We'll check it out, carefully." Oliver added as he saw Bart was ready to rush inside.

"Yeah, yeah..." The speedster waved in the air. "Proceed with caution as they say!"

The archer grinned. "Exactly!"

The next couple of minutes were spent trying to clear out the entry so they could get inside. They were running on borrowed time so they did it as quickly as they could. Fortunately, Bart's speed came in handy, proving to Oliver that he wouldn't have been able to do it without him in time. And the older man could only accept the fact that his recruit was extremely valuable to his team.

A couple more minutes of digging later and the door was open, letting the two men inside. The light was one of the narrow corridor that acted as the entryway, however, there wasn't any sign of anyone in there. That didn't mean AC wasn't inside though.

"Shh!" Oliver stopped abruptly. Craning his head towards his friend, he tapped his ear. Bart focused on his hearing for a second and heard _it_. A muffled sound that definitely wasn't one of an empty house.

Nodding at each other, they fisted their knives in case the person inside was dangerous. As they walked through the house, the muffled sound became more identifiable. Strangely it sounded like sobs. They looked at each other in wonder. _What was going on in there?_

 _Aww, no no no!_ The sobs continued.

Seconds later, they localized the room hidden behind a closed traditional door. Sticking his ear to its wooden surface, he listened. That definitely sounded like someone was crying inside. His hand found the handle, and with one last look at Bart, Oliver pulled it open slowly.

The door opened with a conventional squeaking, giving way to a surreal as much as a very saddening sight to both humans.

The light was very poor but it was supported by a very much alive looking fire lit in the fireplace that looked strangely out of place in this room that could only be assimilated to a basement. The walls weren't even painted and the furniture was rustic.

That however wasn't what made both men's jaws drop to the floor in complete surprise because in the very middle of this room, lying on a large wooden table only covered by a used white blanket was Faora's unconscious form. Dried blood was staining the cotton but what was even more shocking was Bruce's prone body close to her. His hands were caressing her face the way only lovers would and his shoulders were shaking.

To complete the picture, a woman dressed in white stood on the other side of the table, facing the two men. The evident sorrow on her face was briefly replaced by surprise then suspicion as she proceeded to glare at them.

Oliver looked down at the newborn baby she was carrying in her arms. His eyes widened and for a second, he was completely clueless as to do what to do next. Eventually, catching the chilling glare directed their way, Oliver re-sheathed his dagger and raised a hand in a pacific gesture, proving he wasn't dangerous.

The woman nodded at him allowing him inside. Out of the corner of the eye, he saw Bart imitating him as he, almost tentatively, stepped inside the room. Oliver moved beside Bruce who apparently hadn't noticed him yet.

Looking down at Bruce drawing Faora's body closer to his, Oliver finally discovered the identity of the mysterious woman who saved his friend's life, the same woman who, through Bruce, contacted the resistance to inform them of Sedna's counted time. Without her, millions of people would be dead today. Instead, she was the one who gave up her life.

Hesitating slightly, Oliver put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. The other man stilled for a moment before looking up with red rimmed eyes at the tall blond man he considered as his brother.

Upon seeing Oliver, Bruce closed his eyes and looked down again but his friend had had time to notice the pain on his face. Bruce looked in so much pain it tore at his heart and the feeling worsened as his gaze landed on the baby in the nurse's arms.

Titling his head toward Faora and Bruce, Oliver saw nurse nod, silently answering his question as to who were the infant's parents. Oliver's breath caught in his throat at the realization, a tingling sensation in his eyes as he thought that this was Zod's last act of barbarity, an act that affected them all. In the end, Zod may have died and lost the battle against the resistance but he won the war.

Because of him, an entire planet was going to explode, hundreds of people lost their lives in a fight no one else but him wanted to carry on, a baby was born in this hell, its mother was dead and Bruce's life was shattered.

_Damn you, Zod! May you rot in hell for the rest of eternity!_

Blinking the tears away, Oliver swallowed heavily the lump in his throat, trying several times to find his voice. "I'm... sorry, Bruce." he barely managed to whisper. There was a long pause after his words as he gave him a few more seconds with Faora.

Outside, the rumbling sound was replaced by random explosions coming out of the ground, marking the imminent end of a planet that once was a place of peace and democracy. An entire planet's fate changed by one power hungry dictator.

"Bruce..." Oliver began quietly. "I... we've, got to go. I'm sorry." he repeated incapable of helping his friend and hating himself for it.

To his surprise, the older man finally acknowledged him. He managed to get out an almost inaudible 'okay', wiped his tears away with trembling fingers and stood up on weak legs. "She..." he swallowed, looking down at Faora. "She's coming with us."

Oliver could only nod and moved forward to carry her body but was stopped by his friend.

"No, it okay! It's... I'll do it." Bruce said with a raspy voice.

The other man could only watch with concern Bruce scooping Faora up and leaving the room with her without even once glancing at his baby.

Watching him leave, Oliver silently motioned for Bart to guide Bruce out and look out for him. He then turned towards the other woman in the room and looked down at the boy in her arms who appeared to be sleeping, oblivious to all the drama around him.

Looking up, he sighed and motioned for the nurse to follow him. The woman accepted, she apparently realized Oliver was somehow related to Bruce and trusted him enough not to say anything.

"What's your name?" Oliver asked.

"Diana."

**< ><><><><>**   
  


Everything was shaking. Oliver could see the ground moving in waves like a real sea. That was when he truly doubted they could get out of here. How much time did they have left? Not enough to reach a spaceship and fly away he was afraid. Bart couldn't carry them all at once, that was another problem.

The group ran and ran through the deserted streets, trying to escape the planet's explosions. At one point, Oliver swore he had seen the soil open up and pour out magma. His heart began to beat erratically in his chest as he forced himself to run faster.

They weren't far from the alien military airport when Bart barely avoided collision with Kal-El who appeared in front of them, relief crossing his face when he found them.

"Aren't you supposed to be gone already?" Bart almost shouted to be heard over the planet's vacarm.

"J'onn's flying people away from here but I came back on my own." The alien replied quickly. "Had a feeling you would need some he-" his words were cut short when he noticed Bruce carrying the body of his adoptive mother.

"Kal-El!" Oliver felt bad for forcing him out of his grief but they truly had no time for this. "Are there any ships left?"

The kryptonian looked unsteady on his feet for a moment before he got a grip on himself. "There... No!" he began incoherently.

"Come on, focus Kal, I'm sorry we got no time for this!" Oliver pressed.

"There... is nothing left, but I know another way!" Kal-El swallowed his emotions and began to lead the group quickly to the place where Hal had last been with Zod.

_The space-transportation machine._

"Do you know how to turn it on?" Diana asked.

"I've used it in the past, I only need a minute!"

Oliver nodded. "Get inside!" he shouted, the explosions became louder with each passing second. However, he stood rooted to his spot, hesitating.

Bart noticed that and approached his mentor. "Come on, Ollie!"

"We need to get AC!" the other man said.

"I want to but we can't, you have to accept that!" Bart reasoned him. "Come on!"

Bart's insistent words snapped him out of his trance and he reluctantly agreed to get inside the machine. There were two places left. The first one had Bart, Diana, and the baby inside while the second one was occupied by Bruce, Faora's body and Oliver. Kal-El was entering the Earth coordinates.

"Let's go home." The archer said, already thinking about how he could help Bruce get through his pain.

" _And to death we commit, through the insides's fire we shall salvage ourselves,_ " A voice filled the room, momentarily covering the sound of the seisms. " _Seek redemption, and completion. We hereby agree to let millions die to protect billions._ "

Kal-El's movements stilled. He knew who stood behind him, that voice was unmistakably Darkseid's. Turning around, he got confirmation. Hiding his fear, he faced the god of evil with a carefully composed poker face.

"Rao's last chapter, the final achievement." Kal-El referenced the lines pronounced by Darkseid.

"How fitting, right?"

Kal-El heard his friends calling for him to leave before Darkseid killed him, but he didn't move. "It's too late, everyone's left. This is the first chapter of your fall, Darkseid!"

After that, things were a bit blurry in his memory. Kal-El vaguely recalled pressing the last button that turned the machine on, hopping into the closest bubble merely a second before it took off, barely missing being grabbed by Darkseid. The only thing he was sure of, was that he managed to get himself and his friends away from Sedna and the Lord of Darkness.

As he and Oliver, Bart, Bruce and Diana watched from afar the Big Red's demolition, consumed by its core: a spectacle of successive devastating explosions leaving nothing but an infinite amount of small rocks accompanied by the huge burning halo engulfing them, _soundlessly_. They thought of their friends, the one who they hoped, made it out alive, and the ones who lost their lives so the others could live.

_Hal... AC... Victor..._

Their deaths would not be vain, Oliver was going to do everything in his power to find again his friends and Chloe. Yes, he was going to find them and create the resistance on Earth, this one at least, was not going to explode. They wouldn't let it happen again.

And Darkseid? Even a god couldn't survive the explosion of a planet, that was impossible. Still, after everything he'd seen, Oliver wouldn't be surprised if he managed to wind up surviving this. Nothing was impossible in this dangerous universe, probably the most dangerous of all the universes.

**< ><><><><>**   
  


And Oliver Queen was right, a simple explosion, no matter how big it was, could not kill Darkseid, the Great Lord of Apokolips, the master of a universe he'd been conquering for more than sixty years.

No, Darkseid wasn't dead, he would not die as long as his eternal wrath was there. His conquered lands were in danger with Zod's prisoners out of their cells and on their ways to their respective planets. He wasn't going to let it go without a fight, the fight of his life.

_Oh no, this was not over. Not by a long shot._

**THE END**


End file.
